< Chapter 92 - Air Raid >
Chapter 92 – Air Raid
It was well past midnight, but the Argonne harbor was as noisy as if it were broad daylight.
“This way!”
“Turn the lights up a bit more!”
“There it is! It’s over there!”
Knights and guards roamed the alleys searching for remnants of the Black Hand mercenaries and their monsters.
“Don’t go out carelessly!”
“Lock the windows and doors!”
“Those whose walls have already collapsed, gather in the square! It’s safer there!”
Although most of the fighting took place in the central square, civilian casualties were incurred due to the wild boar men and monsters that scattered in all directions.
Of course, it was truly surprising that there were only injuries and no deaths in this much commotion.
“Send someone to Count Kagehama’s house as well.”
In one night, two of the seven southern clans were attacked.
Unlike the Marquis of Orphan, who had defended himself relatively well, Count Kagehama’s mansion was burned down, all of the walls collapsed, and many of his servants died, resulting in great damage.
“What is Count Kagehama’s condition?”
The adjutant narrowed his brows in response to the question from Sir Marcus, the commander of the Sirion Knights in charge of policing Argonne Port.
“It’s not life-threatening, but there seems to be a problem with the head. The doctor said it’s short-term memory loss.”
“Memory loss?”
“Yes, he said he completely forgot everything that happened tonight.”
“Huh, really? Are there any side effects?”
“They say there are no visible side effects right now.”
“I see.”
The fact that the mansion was destroyed overnight was enough to cause mental shock, apart from the injuries.
“Your Majesty, the guards have arrested seven dwarf artisans in the central square.”
“Dwarves? Why all of a sudden? Did they get into a fight with the people around them?”
“Yes, I was caught trying to steal some of the Black Dragon’s corpse and got into trouble with the Holy Cross Guardians.”
Sir Marcus frowned at the report from his subordinate knight.
“Anyway, dwarves.”
They were a race that was hard to like, as they were stubborn, proud, and even greedy.
As Sir Marcus reinforced his usual prejudices, the adjutant standing beside him cautiously added his words.
“From the dwarves’ perspective, it would be like having a golden treasure… no, a feast right before their eyes, but not being able to touch it.”
“So? If the Holy Communion is right in front of you and you can’t touch it, would you steal it?”
“That’s not it.”
The adjutant who had gone out of his way to get what he wanted and was scolded for nothing was defeated, and Sir Marcus, who had been clicking his tongue and feeling miserable at the sight, asked the knight who had brought the news of his arrest again.
“Who are the main characters in this incident?”
“They said they would listen to my situation once I finish receiving treatment for my injury.”
“Tsk.”
Sir Marcus clicked his tongue again at the knight’s report, revealing his discomfort.
I was annoyed by the fact that even though an incident had occurred that shook the security of the entire Argonne port, we still hadn’t had a proper hearing.
‘What’s thankful is thankful, and what’s shitty is shitty.’
Although it was appreciated that it prevented what could have been a major disaster, the circumstances surrounding the incident were not yet clear.
Maybe it was their fault that the port became dangerous in the first place.
‘Of course, given the circumstances, I don’t think that’s likely.’
Anyway, Sir Marcus wanted to detain the main culprits of the incident and question them, but he was unable to actually do so.
Because the opponents were such big shots.
‘The Southern Seven Clans would be better.’
Heroes of Paragon.
How can you force them?
“Okay, just tell him I’ll see him tomorrow morning.”
“Yes? Morning?”
“It’ll be dawn soon anyway. If I’m going to let you rest, I might as well let you rest properly.”
“All right.”
As the knight withdrew, Sir Marcus looked back toward the central square.
Just thinking about the corpses of dozens of dragons, not to mention the corpses of dragons that I had only seen in storybooks, scattered around gave me goosebumps.
‘It’ll end today, I guess.’
This is such nonsense.
Sir Marcus, trying to calm himself down, nodded slowly.
Without even dreaming about what would happen in the future.
&
“So, disciple, how many questions?”
“It’s the sixth gate.”
“Fuck.”
Scarlett flinched as crude profanity came out of Landius’ mouth.
I had heard that he was strong, but seeing the inhuman power of Landius right before my eyes made me feel scared, whether I was on our side or not.
However, unlike Scarlett, Kaiser was examining Landius’ entire body with sparkling eyes.
That gaze was so sticky that I thought I would believe it if he said he was caressing me with his eyes.
And one more person.
Cordelia, sitting next to Lena who was smiling warmly, thought with a big smile.
‘F*ck is an exclamation!’
It’s an exclamation.
Besides, Landius’s reaction made Cordelia very happy.
‘This is our Yudera.’
Isn’t that amazing? Isn’t that amazing? You got 50 kills by yourself in the martial arts tournament held in the royal capital?
As Cordelia let her heart’s voice flow out through her expression and got excited, Lena laughed again, while Scarlett’s expression turned cold.
And the masterminds.
Landius and Uder were repeating their previous conversation.
“Six gates? Are you really saying six gates?”
“Yes, it’s the sixth gate. You saw it.”
“Dirty world.”
I had such a hard time trying to open the door.
Of course, it wasn’t that I wasn’t happy with my disciple’s quick achievements.
The fact that Yuder opened the meat gate was a joy in itself.
But still, how long has it been since we parted ways at the temple? Why are we already at the Six Gates?
I was worried that if things continued like this, the next time I saw him, he would catch up to me.
‘No, would that be better?’
It wasn’t just a story about a disciple’s accomplishments.
This is because Landius himself has been stuck in the Seven Gates for quite some time and has not been able to advance to the Eight Gates.
If Yuder could open the Eight Gates with the help of the Heavenly Martial Arts, Landius himself might also get a clue to open the Eight Gates.
‘The Nine Heavenly Gate was originally a divine art for the Heavenly Martial Body.’
Landius nodded once to collect his thoughts and began to look at Yuder from a different perspective.
“But Yuder.”
“Yes, Master.”
“You’re feeling a lot better.”
“It’s all thanks to the teacher’s teachings.”
When I first met him, he was a skinny and small man, but now he has grown up to be in the late 180s and has built up a lot of muscle.
Of course, compared to Landius, it was still small and dwarfed.
“Anyway, Randy, how about we get back to the main topic?”
As Lena spoke softly, Landius nodded, and Cordelia’s eyes sparkled with a different meaning.
‘Randy? You just said Randy, right?’
It’s not Landius, it’s Randilani.
It’s just a simple abbreviation, but isn’t this also a nickname?
‘Hmm, Landius and Rena.’
It was a pretty plausible story.
If you think about it based on the first episode, they were a very well-matched handsome man and beautiful woman couple.
‘Oh, no. Not now.’
Landius was too big.
The height difference alone was 60cm… no, almost 70cm, but the size difference was even greater.
It was said that Landius’s forearms were thicker than Lena’s waist.
‘A crowd, absolutely a crowd.’
Cordelia, who had been doing the dirty work on her own, looked at Juder again and thought, folding her hands in front of her chest as if praying.
‘It can’t be any bigger.’
Now is the perfect time, okay?
Of course, even if Yuder really grew to the size of Landius, I don’t think his current feelings would change.
Maybe they will claim a moral victory by saying that big is good.
Anyway, Landius continued the story separately from Cordelia.
“Ahem, then let’s get back to the main topic. I heard the general situation from the members of the Guardians.”
The group was currently located on the roof of a building near the Opundhu Writer’s House.
It was a place chosen because it was obvious that if they were captured by the Marquis of Offand or the Knights, they would be subjected to a barrage of questions.
“Yes, the story you told is true. Today’s fight proved it once again.”
The threat of the ancient black dragon Malekith.
“Today’s attack is only the beginning. The enemy’s main force, the Dragon Army, has not even properly appeared yet.”
Malekith’s dragonflight was not a group comprised of sub-dragons or anything like that.
It was a real army of dragons that inherited Malekith’s blood, and naturally, their fighting power was incomparable to that of a group of sub-dragons.
Landius frowned at Uder’s words and looked back toward the west. Seeing crows flying in the distance, it seemed like Kamael’s work was over.
“How about we have a proper discussion after Kamael arrives?”
“That sounds good.”
“Yes, Master. Then before that… may I ask you and your colleagues a question?”
“question?”
“Yes, I would like to know what happened in the South.”
It wasn’t just Landius, but he was also accompanied by Kamael and Lena, so the three of them were traveling together.
As shown in today’s battle, when these three come together, it is no easy task to wipe out a city, so I cannot help but wonder what this force could do together.
‘Because we need it for the future too.’
Until now, Yuder had not received assistance from Landius in handling affairs in the North and the royal capital.
But things had to change going forward.
As the current situation in the South shows, crises that would be too great for just Uder and Cordelia to handle would come one after another.
“Hmm… good. I guess it’s time to start talking.”
Although some people might consider Yuder’s question rude, Landius nodded his head a few times as if he didn’t care, then narrowed his eyebrows and continued speaking.
“Uder, you probably already know who is responsible for the destruction of the Paragon Kingdom.”
People often point to the queen who made a contract with a demon as the cause of the fall of the Paragon Kingdom, but Landius didn’t think so.
From the beginning, the queen was just someone who was used.
The first one to seduce the queen.
He not only told her about the existence of the devil, but also taught her how to make a contract and even the horrific human sacrifice of offering up her own son.
“Ambassador Manuela.”
“Yes, that’s him. Lena, Kamael, and I have been tracking his movements ever since the fall of the Paragon Kingdom.”
It wasn’t just for revenge.
It was to prevent Manuela from causing a greater tragedy.
“Was there a Manuela in the South?”
“Yeah, unfortunately I missed it.”
Yuder already knew that Landius was traveling all over the continent in search of Manuela.
But I asked again anyway just to confirm.
‘Because many things have already changed from the original.’
In the original, there was no story about Landius and Malekith fighting each other.
In other words, at this point, Landius had never come down to the south.
That’s why Yuder was wary of other possible reasons, but it seems that his worries were unfounded.
‘Of course, Ambassador Manuela is not the type to simply talk about something like a wish.’
Although it may vary slightly depending on the route, Ambassador Manuela was the de facto final boss of Hero Chronicles 2.
It was Archbishop Manuela who caused the great catastrophe on earth that would trigger Armageddon in Heaven and Hell.
‘I guess this is the final boss level enemy.’
To think that he would be able to dodge a party that included not only Landius but also Kamael and Lena.
Even though we were enemies, it was something that made me exclaim in admiration.
“He’s such an elusive guy, I don’t know where he’ll show up next. I should’ve caught him this time······.”
Landius, who gritted his teeth as if he was newly angry, showed a little bit of murderous intent. It was the first time since I met him.
‘Landius.’
In the original, his death was not covered. Based on the circumstances, it is only inferred that he was killed by the Demon Eye’s top-level Mine Duke.
‘Is it Manuela?’
If not Duke, then maybe him?
However, Manuela at this point was not that strong. It was after the Seven Great Calamities descended upon the earth that he gained the strength to become a final boss-level enemy.
‘Even if that’s true, it won’t be easy anymore.’
Because Lena was with Landius.
In some cases, Kamael may do the same.
‘And… it’s strong, too. To an abnormal degree.’
Although they were both of the same class, there was a huge gap between the strength of Yuder and Landius.
This is because the basic capabilities themselves were different, although the amplification ratio was the same.
It was the same logic as multiplying the strength of 10 by ten to get 100, but multiplying the strength of 20 by ten to get 200.
‘Of course, it won’t work out exactly as calculated.’
In any case, it was true that Landius was incredibly strong.
So much so that it feels abnormal.
“Kamael is coming. It looks like he completed his mission safely.”
Yuder also nodded at Landius’s words as he confirmed Mateo lying down among a flock of crows.
It was true that Mateo, the Heavy Swordsman, was a fairly powerful swordsman among the Ten Swordsmen, but even so, he was a swordsman one level lower than Kamael, the Sword Demon.
“It seems difficult to question him right away.”
Everyone agreed with Kamael’s words as soon as they settled on the rooftop. Mateo, who had collapsed on the floor, was literally on the verge of death.
“So let’s proceed with the story separately from the interrogation.”
Kamael, who walked briskly to sit next to Landius, took a deep breath and continued speaking.
“I have already heard reports from the Holy Cross Defenders. As today’s battle proves, the threat from Malekith is real, and we must take action.”
Unlike Landius and Lena, who wandered without any affiliation, Kamael lived for nearly ten years as the leader of the Holy Cross Guardians.
The perspective on natural events was bound to be different from Landius’s.
“Apart from asking for help from the center, we must first unite the power of the South.”
With the fall of Matteo, it seemed that one of the seven houses, the Counts of Luclia, had already fallen into enemy hands, but six more still remained.
“But the mere appearance of an external enemy will not cause the Southern forces to unite as one.”
The idea of uniting to fight a common enemy was the stuff of storybooks.
Humans were not that simple.
They would pursue their own interests within the group. They would not actively step forward to avoid losses, and even if the seven families were to unite, their actual power would be less than four families, and even then, they would become a chaotic army, each moving separately.
“So we need a solution.”
A means to fully unite the power of the seven southern clans.
As the story progressed to this point, Kaiser suddenly turned to Uther and smiled, and Scarlett also had a mischievous smile on her face. Cordelia even laughed out loud.
But instead of being flustered by the sudden reactions of the three, Kamael continued speaking.
“The sacred relic of the great hero Carlos, who can unite the seven southern families. We need it.”
“Yes, here it is.”
“Yeah, that···what?”
“Here, here’s Carlos’s new water.”
Uther pushed Ascalon forward, and Kamael blinked. He had a blank expression on his face that had never been seen before in the original, and was unable to say anything.
&
< Chapter 92 - Air Raid > End
