< Chapter 92 - Air Raid #5 >
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The morning dawned at Argonne Harbor.
The sight of the sunrise rising beyond the horizon was the same as always, but the view of Argonne Harbor facing it was different from yesterday.
“Are you telling me not to go out to sea?”
“Yes, the port blockade has been issued.”
There were dozens of ships anchored in Argonne Harbor, and they were of various types.
If it were a normal day, the dock would be busy with ships preparing to set sail from the morning, but today was not like that.
Because no ship could leave the port.
Although it was a sudden order, the ship owners decided to wait and see what happened instead of protesting right away.
We don’t know exactly what happened last night, but we all know that hundreds of monsters attacked Port Argonne.
Of course, in a normal case, those who felt fearful of an attack would board a ship and try to leave Port Argonne, but this time, things were a little different.
This is because the seven southern clans, who were always fighting and competing for power, agreed to blockade the port.
“There is talk that this is the second coming of Malekith.”
“Malekith?!”
“Yes, Hans said he saw the corpse of a black dragon lying in the central square. He said the dwarves were drooling and the members of the Order of the Holy Cross were blocking it.”
“Huh? The Holy Cross Guardians?”
It was an unexpected name, but at the same time it gave me a strange sense of relief.
“I also heard that it was none other than the Paragon heroes who stopped this attack.”
“Is it real?”
“That’s what I heard. And actually, think about it. Who else but the Paragon heroes could possibly handle that many monsters in one night?”
“Oh, indeed.”
The story of the five Paragon heroes who defeated the transcendent being known as the Demon Prince was known throughout the continent.
“And there is a story that there is a fantasy couple.”
“Who is that?”
“Don’t you know the heroes of the royal road? This time, the young heroes who protected the royal family from the traitors who would be vengeful for their country… no, that’s right.”
“Oh, so you run away from home so often?”
“Oh, be careful what you say. What are you going to do if someone hears you?”
“No, well… you’re famous.”
It was a well-known fact throughout the Kingdom of Seilun that the fantasy couple were masters of midnight escapes.
Aren’t there any midnight escapes going around in the capital right now because of these two people?
“Didn’t they say that a couple who has never run away in the middle of the night can’t talk about love?”
“Ahem, anyway, with the heroes of Paragon and the fantasy couple… it seems like something really unusual is happening.”
“It could really be Malekith.”
“That might be······.”
Argon Harbor- No, there was no one among those who dwelt in the South who did not know Malekith.
Three hundred years was certainly a long time, but it was too short a time to erase the scars he had left on the earth.
The legend of the great hero Carlos and the Seven Knights.
The story of the black evil dragon that tried to scorch the South.
As all sorts of rumors spread throughout the port, the heads of the seven southern clans each left their mansions.
‘In the name of Carlos, the Dragon Sword has returned.’
The inscription on the letter containing the emblems of the Order of the Holy Cross and the Knights of Sirion was enough to move the heads of the seven southern houses.
Because they all knew what the Dragon’s Sword meant.
The Knights Templar Conference Room.
Kamael, standing in front of the stage, looked straight ahead without saying a word.
Behind him sat Landius, Lena, and Sir Marcus, the leader of the Sirion Knights, while across from him sat the six heads of the seven southern houses, excluding Matteo Luclia, sitting spaced out and keeping some distance from each other.
The expressions on the faces of the owners were varied.
Excitement, anger, fear, horror.
Kamael, who faced their faces filled with a mixture of emotions, closed his eyes once and soon spoke in a soft voice.
“Malekith has returned.”
It was something everyone had already guessed.
But Kamael’s declaration was like a final sentence.
When they finally faced reality, each of the owners reacted differently.
Some groaned, others tried to remain calm. Some clenched their teeth in fear, while others closed their eyes tightly, choosing to escape from reality for a moment.
But no one denied Kamael’s words.
Because no one was foolish enough to not know what happened last night or what the corpses of the black dragons lying in the central square meant.
“And here, Carlos’ sword also returned.”
Kamael lifted Ascalon.
Because it was sealed, it was only a slightly flashy sword, and it did not feel like it had any sacred power, but none of the heads of the household doubted the authenticity of the sword.
As one of the five heroes of Paragon and the first of the six commanders of the Order of the Holy Cross, Kamael’s words carried such weight and power.
“Malekith’s men stole the tokens held by the lords in order to find out the whereabouts of this sword. They were afraid of the power of Ascalon, the dragonslayer sword that was the divine relic of Carlos, who had defeated Malekith in the past.”
As the words continued calmly, the old man with white hair, Count Gao Lan, clenched his fists.
As the eldest of the seven heads of the Southern Clan, he was a more ardent follower of Carlos than anyone else present.
Kamael continued speaking.
“Count Juder August Bayer and Countess Cordelia August Chase defended Ascalon from Malekith’s men. They also saved Count Kagehama’s life.”
At Kamael’s words, everyone’s attention turned to Count Kagehama.
Count Kagehama, who had suffered a head injury and could barely remember what had happened the night before, simply furrowed his brows.
“I know very well what the sword of Carlos means to the South. However, I cannot readily give it to you. The situation is truly dire.”
The eyes of the heads of households became sharp for a moment.
In the case of Count Gaolan, he clearly expressed his anger at Kamael for daring to steal Carlos’s sacred waters, but the reactions of the other heads of the clans were a little different.
‘It’s better.’
Now that Malekith has been resurrected, the fate of the South could be said to be hanging by a thread.
So, we had to gather the strength of the South.
Someone had to take up Carlos’ sword and lead the Seven Southern Clans.
However, it would have been extremely awkward for any one of the seven southern families to take up Carlos’ sword.
‘But now is not the time to fight.’
It was not the time for the seven southern houses to fight a civil war over who would wield Carlos’ sword.
A person foolish enough to start a civil war while facing a common enemy could not become the head of one of the seven southern clans.
Count Gaolan also couldn’t hide his anger as his emotions got the better of him, but he didn’t stand up or shout.
Because he, like the other heads of households, understood the current situation.
‘Then who is it?’
Who will take up the sword of Carlos and lead the Seven Southern Clans?
I had some idea.
But this time too, I had to be on my toes until I got a definitive answer.
And Kamael sighed in relief at the reaction of these heads of houses. He continued his speech, which had been interrupted for a moment, by sending a small compliment to the heads of the seven southern houses who were by no means foolish.
“I will hand over Carlos’ sword to Landius. And after this fight is over, Landius will return Carlos’ sword to the South.”
In response to Kamael’s words, Landius stood up and stepped forward.
The heads of the seven southern clans did not object to the appearance of the giant, who was like a castle of steel. In fact, some of them breathed a sigh of relief.
‘It’s just as Yuder said.’
In fact, there were six candidates to take up Carlos’ sword.
Kamael himself, Landius, Lena, Sir Marcus, the commander of the Sirion Knights, Uther, and Cordelia.
Among them, Uder said that there was no need to hesitate and that he should leave Carlos’ sword to Landius.
“That would cause the least backlash.”
Kamael was a key member of the Order of the Holy Cross.
As he was a member of a powerful group that had influence across the entire continent, it was bound to be a burden to the Seven Southern Clans.
Because there was a possibility that the Holy Cross Defenders might try to exert influence in the South after swallowing Carlos’ sword – a low probability, but not entirely impossible assumption.
“In that sense, neither Cordelia nor I are good.”
Uther and Cordelia were nobles of the Kingdom of Cailun.
In other words, it was highly likely that he would take up Carlos’ sword and settle down in the South.
For the seven families of the South, having a new master from outside – and one from one of the twelve families of the North at that – was by no means a pleasant development.
“Sir Marcus… I’m sorry to say this, but he lacks authority.”
Moreover, since he was a member of the royal family, the seven southern families could not help but feel resistance to him.
Although they were one of the seven southern families that were loyal to the Cailun royal family, there was a world of difference between simply being part of the Cailun Kingdom and being directly ruled by the royal family.
“Then that leaves you with Master and Lena, but Master would be better, right?”
Both were wandering wildlings without any affiliation, and had the reputation of being one of the five heroes of Paragon, but there were also clear differences.
Counsellor- No, the inspector and the wizard.
If you had to entrust a sword to one of the two, who would you entrust it to?
“There are also visual reasons.”
To anyone who saw it, Landius looked incredibly strong, while Rena was just a beautiful and slender beauty.
“So I think I should leave Ascalon to you, Master.”
Kamael also agreed.
Aside from the reasons that Uder had mentioned, I thought that only Landius could lead everyone in this crisis.
‘Just like in Paragon.’
He who did not yield to the despair of being the Demon Prince.
A man like the sun who saved everyone in the end with his iron will.
Kamael looked back at reality.
As the lords watched, Ascalon was handed over to Landius, who respectfully accepted Ascalon.
“I will allow you to take charge of the Great Hero’s sword for a moment.”
When Landius spoke in a serious tone, even Count Gaolan, who had been somewhat opposed, nodded his head momentarily.
It was thanks to the overwhelming heroic aura that Landius possessed.
‘also.’
Kamael smiled a satisfied smile, unusual for him, and continued speaking.
“The situation is urgent, so we will move on to a countermeasure meeting right away.”
But Kamael had no intention of exchanging opinions with the lords as the horse had said.
This is because the general guidelines had already been decided.
“Malekith currently sleeps here.”
Kamael pointed to a spot on the massive chart that the Sirion Knights had set up.
It is an island located quite far from Argonne Port, and it is a place that is difficult to approach due to the strong currents around it and the many reefs.
“Malekith has not yet awakened. So the best we can do is to capture the island before he awakens, and use Ascalon to snuff out his slumbering form.”
At Kamael’s words, everyone’s eyes turned to Landius, and Landius lifted Ascalon lightly with a solemn face.
In fact, it was Yuder who would use Ascalon in the field, but there was no need to tell the lords of the house that fact since they would not be going to the battlefield anyway.
“Of course, we need a fleet to do that. We also need to punish the traitorous Lucilia family.”
The power of the Seven Southern Clans was scattered throughout the South.
The priority was to concentrate all that power at the neutral port of Argonne.
To occupy the island, you first need troops.
“Mateo Luclia, the head of the Count Luclia family, is currently being held by the Marquis of Orfund. We have captured most of the people of the Count Luclia family located in Port Argon, but we must control them by using Matteo’s life as a hostage, because we do not know what they will do in the Count Luclia family’s territory. I will leave this task to the Marquis of Orfund.”
At Kamael’s words, the sharp-eyed Marquis of Orphan laughed wickedly.
If he took on such a role, there was a high possibility that he would obtain a larger share in the Marquis of Orfund when the Counts of Lucilia were disbanded in the future, but the heads of the families simply frowned and did not particularly object.
Because it was something that had to be done by someone, and at the same time, it was a very tricky thing to do.
“Chief Kamael, I have a question.”
When Count Gaolan spoke in a loud voice, everyone’s eyes turned to him.
He was old and thin, like a withered old tree, but his eyes were so lively that they seemed to shine.
“According to legend, there is a powerful dragonflight under Malekith’s command. A dragonflight composed of real dragons, not mere dwarves.”
Carlos’ legends mention an army of over 100 black dragons, and this is no exaggeration.
“It is unknown whether the Dragon Legion still exists, or if it does exist, whether it is still viable, but if it does, access by sea would be nearly impossible.”
It was a convincing story.
With dozens of dragons breathing from the sky, the fate of wooden ships on the sea with nowhere to run was simply sinking.
“Are there any countermeasures prepared for this?”
At Count Gaolan’s words, the other heads of households also looked at Kamael with eyes filled with concern.
If the Dragon Legion really existed, it would have been difficult to defend the South, let alone attack it.
‘You can just come anywhere, breathe on me, and then turn back.’
The South was large, which meant there was plenty to defend.
As the heads of the households focused their attention on him, Kamael smiled slightly. Instead of saying, “Let’s discuss it now,” he spoke in a confident tone.
“Countermeasures have been prepared.”
The plan that Yuder made.
A series of explanations followed from Kamael’s mouth.
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“The Dragon Legion does exist. It is said that the number of dragons belonging to it is well over fifty, although not as many as in its heyday.”
It was the knowledge of Heroes Chronicles 2 that had been washed away as information from Gamor Khan.
Although he didn’t know much about the houses in the south, Uther knew Malekith and his men well.
“Having lost Madurus and failed to take Ascalon, Sicilia will turn to Orga for help.”
It was a natural progression.
And then Uther noticed.
“Orga has two options: strike the South, or hold his ground.”
The original purpose of Sicily’s attack on the south was to take Ascalon.
And even then, they mobilized their forces because Ascalon was on the verge of being taken away, and Sicily had not originally planned to attack the port with a large force.
“Their policy is basically to wait.”
The Agent Black Dragon was a being that was different from ordinary dragons.
It would be no problem for Malekith, a monster that could even defeat a Daemon Prince from Hell, to be resurrected and sweep away the south, so it was better for them to wait patiently for Malekith’s resurrection rather than move around uselessly and waste their troops.
“According to Gamor Khan, Orga is a cautious man. The legends of Carlos also describe him as a rock.”
It was like that in the original too.
He was a general who specialized in guarding.
“So you provoke him. Gather your forces, form a fleet, and take actions that suggest he might attack the island where Malekith sleeps. He’ll likely resort to blockading the sea lanes instead of attacking the ports.”
To do that, we needed some groundwork.
By clearing out the servant horses that Sicilia had scattered throughout the harbor, he blinds her eyes and ears, while also leaking a piece of information, which makes her uneasy.
“The Seven Southern Houses know the location of the island where Malekith sleeps. They are gathering forces to attack it.”
After eliminating the servant horses, we had to keep an eye on the reconnaissance units such as A-Ryong that were scouting this area from the sky.
“And at the same time, we have to expose that we are gathering a fleet.”
The seven southern clans are gathering their forces.
I know where the island is.
But you can’t get close enough to get a perfect picture of the situation.
Given these conditions, there was only one thing Orga could do.
“Blockade the seas.”
Instead of clumsily attacking ports, we protect the sea.
If the Southern Seven Clans really send a fleet, they will all be drowned at sea, but if they don’t send one, they will just wait.
Now, with Malekith’s resurrection imminent, time was on the side of the dragonflight.
When Kamael first heard Uther’s story, he was skeptical.
Although Uder’s words sounded very plausible, they were ultimately just empty talk.
But Kamael eventually decided to follow Uther’s words.
Because it was nearly impossible to gather a fleet in complete secrecy in the first place.
The seven southern clans, under Kamael’s command, gathered their troops while leaking information and blocking it as Yuder had said, and the dragon army moved as Yuder had expected.
“We hold our ground.”
Sicilia felt an inexplicable ominousness at Orga’s decision, but she did not object.
Logically, Orga’s decision was correct.
‘I would like to take Ascalon before Malekith awakens, but······.’
Attacking the port was a risky undertaking for the Dragon Legion as well.
In any case, on the side of the seven southern families, there were monsters called the Paragon heroes and Ascalon.
Moreover, since they were so confident that they would cross the sea and strike the island, there was no need to needlessly expose the existence of the Dragon Corps.
As Orga said, it was more advantageous to drown them in the sea.
“Time is on our side, Sicily. And having conquered the air, we are invincible on the sea.”
“Yes, Orga-nim, I will follow Orga-nim’s will.”
As Sicilia bowed her head in obedience, Orga, who had been polymorphed into a black-haired elf, looked in the direction of Argon Harbor with a satisfied smile.
And half a day later.
It was three nights after the fight in the central square.
Under the pitch-black night sky where even the moon and stars had disappeared due to deep clouds, the elite troops of the seven southern clans were preparing for battle on their respective ships.
The total number of ships of the line was twenty-seven.
Each of them was a large warship armed with dozens of cannons and capable of carrying hundreds of personnel.
Six frigates were added to this, bringing the total number of ships to thirty-three.
Of course, if they had taken a little more time, they could have mobilized the forces of the House of Cailun, but with Malekith’s resurrection just around the corner, there was no time to leisurely gather troops.
‘What on earth are you planning to do?’
It was a huge force that was thrilling to look at, but the thought of being bombarded by dozens of dragons from the sea made my eyes darken.
Not only Count Gaolan, but also the other heads of the seven southern clans were looking at the fleet with extremely anxious eyes.
“There must be a way.”
Because I was so confident.
Would you just go out to the sea?
Among the heads of the household, the youngest, the Countess Oriol, nodded to the words of the Countess of Saint-Croute, who was wearing a gorgeous red dress.
“Marquis Ofund and Count Kagehama are also participating. They won’t just simply go to the sea, right?”
But what on earth are you going to do?
What I was curious about was Landius as well.
“So, disciple. What do you plan to do now?”
The last step in Uder’s plan.
Cordelia laughed bashfully at Landius’ question, and Uder took a deep breath. As if to show respect to all the eyes on him from the vantage point, he turned to Cordelia with a slightly exaggerated gesture and spoke.
“Cordelia, please.”
“huh!”
Cordelia answered excitedly and took out the object she had been keeping in her arms and put it in her mouth, and Caesar immediately clapped his hands.
Because unlike the others present, Caesar had seen the thing.
The horn of the Holy Spirit.
Cordelia blew the token of the oath she had received from the Sirens with all her might, and soon a loud and majestic sound filled the entire harbor.
Once, twice, and a third time the sound spread.
“Twinkle, twinkle, little star.”
“It looks beautiful.”
A song was heard from the sea.
“In the eastern sky too.”
“In the western sky too.”
It wasn’t just one place. It was as if the entire ocean was singing.
“Twinkle, twinkle, little star.”
“It looks beautiful.”
Those who were standing at the port and seeing them off were startled and looked at the sea.
The sailors on board the ship also hung on the deck and looked out over the water.
Beautiful sea elves.
Hundreds of sirens stood out on the water, watching the southern fleet.
And the woman leading them, Illyana Calacanis, queen of the Sirens, lifted the staff she held in her hand.
It wasn’t the first time that Uther and Cordelia had clashed.
Two days ago, the two people had already made a promise with the Sirens to blow the whistle and make today’s promise.
“I keep my oath here and now.”
Illyana waved her staff lightly and the Sirens began a new song.
It created a huge and powerful magic.
“Huh?”
“Stomach, stomach?!”
“The ship is sinking!”
The sailors were greatly agitated, but only for a moment.
This is because large air bubbles covered each ship as if protecting it.
The sirens continued to sing.
Landius looked around with a blank expression and burst into laughter, while Kaisha and Scarlett also blushed and became excited. Lena also couldn’t hold back her laughter.
“We will go to the bottom of the sea.”
Under the sea, not in the sky or the sea.
Through that place where the hand of the Dragon Legion will never reach.
The fleet sank beneath the surface.
The heads of the seven southern clans who were sitting on the dock simply opened their mouths and said nothing, while the crew members on the battleship cheered at the sight of the sirens swimming beyond the bubbles and the underwater scenery.
And the center of all that noise.
Uther, who was at the forefront of the fleet, gently hugged Cordelia’s waist. Cordelia glared at him, but then smiled and leaned her head against Uther’s chest.
He whispered in a sweet voice.
“Yuder, Yuuder.”
“Oh, Cordelia.”
“Let’s go and get a head start.”
“okay.”
Let’s hit them in the back of the head through a route they never thought of.
Uther and Cordelia, who shared dark smiles side by side, leaned against each other again and looked away.
I looked to the south beyond – in the direction of Malekith’s island.
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< Chapter 92 - Air Raid #5 > End
