Chapter 341: Let’s Just Start Now. (2)
Thud!
“Kugh!”
Thud!
“Argh!”
Thud!
“Gahhh!”
Every time Ghislain swung his hand, soldiers flew in all directions. In a place like this, devoid of knights, there was no one capable of stopping him.
“What, what is this? Why is a monster like this here?”
The soldiers, overwhelmed with fear, didn’t even dare to approach him and instead retreated. At a glance, it was clear that this was not someone they could handle.
Someone like him needed to be restrained with mana shackles and constantly monitored by knights.
“He’s definitely part of the Revolutionary Group!”
“He must’ve been caught on purpose and brought here!”
“It’s a leader! A Revolutionary Group leader is here!”
At first, they assumed he was just some lowly revolutionary thug or a drunken lunatic. But after witnessing his skills, it was clear that he was a high-ranking officer sent to overthrow the city.
The Revolutionary Group was infamous across the continent for their brutality. Whenever they succeeded in a revolution, they would annihilate not just the nobles residing in the castles, but also the soldiers who served them.
Fearing they might meet such a fate, the soldiers hesitated, paralyzed by dread.
Since the soldiers were already misunderstanding him, Ghislain decided to continue acting the part.
“Revolution! Down with this filthy world!”
As Ghislain shouted, the soldiers panicked and threw down their weapons.
“Run for your lives!”
“We can’t possibly beat him!”
“Quick, call the knights!”
Ghislain left the fleeing soldiers alone. Instead, he picked up a sword lying on the ground and slashed through the prison bars, one by one.
“If you want to escape, follow me. Got it?”
The prisoners stared at Ghislain with bewildered expressions.
“What are you doing? I said, follow me!”
Only then did the prisoners snap out of it. After all, staying in the prison almost certainly meant dying here.
Guilt or innocence didn’t matter. Many who were unjustly imprisoned often ended up rotting away, forgotten entirely.
Martin’s administration was so disorganized that calling it as something chaotic would be a compliment.
“Y-yes, yes! We’ll follow you!”
As Ghislain began to move, the prisoners quickly fell in behind him.
Among them, there were surely some innocent individuals and others who were true criminals. But since it was impossible to discern at the moment, Ghislain decided to free them all for now.
Once they had exited the prison, Galbarik turned to him and asked,
“Lord! What now? Are you going to rescue all these people too?”
“We need to get to the tunnel quickly and bring in the knights. These people? We’re just taking them along because it’s convenient.”
Ghislain and the others headed straight for the tunnel.
The area was already in chaos. With the prison emptied of its inmates, it was inevitable.
Shouts echoed from all sides as soldiers scrambled to respond. It seemed like even the guards stationed at the outer perimeter had been mobilized.
Several soldiers were stationed near the tunnel entrance. Since the dwarves’ origins had yet to be identified, the tunnel had not been sealed off, merely covered with wooden planks and lightly guarded.
“The prisoners have escaped!”
Cries like this rang out everywhere, putting the soldiers guarding the tunnel on high alert, weapons drawn.
They saw Ghislain and the others approaching and shouted,
“The prisoners are coming this way!”
Slash!
“Kugh!”
Ghislain swiftly took care of the soldiers. Although the commotion hadn’t yet drawn a large number of troops to the area, reinforcements would surely arrive soon.
The dwarves quickly entered the tunnel and began operating the mechanism to open the blocked door.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
The door was a puzzle-like structure, requiring wooden pieces to be aligned to unlock it. While it served to keep intruders out, it was primarily designed to stop enemies and collapse the tunnel if needed.
“Lord!”
The knights who had been waiting beyond the door rushed in as soon as it opened.
“Before the city guards arrive, we need to rescue the hostages. Let’s move quickly.”
With about twenty knights at his side, Ghislain stepped out of the tunnel. The dwarves sealed the door behind them and readied their prepared weapons.
All the freed prisoners were ushered safely inside the tunnel. No doubt, some among them were dangerous criminals. But they wouldn’t dare act recklessly, knowing the dwarves could end them with a swing of their axes.
After all, dwarves were formidable warriors.
Outside, chaos continued to spread, fueled by the escaped prisoners.
“They’ve gone toward the tunnel!”
“Kill anyone who resists!”
“Catch them now!”
Soldiers charged with fury, joined by a few knights who had been nearby.
Ghislain flicked the blood off his sword and asked,
“You brought the armor, right?”
The knights smirked, pulling aside their robes to reveal the armor they had retrieved from its hiding place outside the city.
“Then let’s go.”
Bzzz―!
This Operation Hinges on Speed.
The knights activated their armor’s power from the start.
Boom!
Ghislain moved first, his eyes glowing red. Soldiers rushing toward the tunnel were instantly sent flying, their screams echoing in the air.
Boom! Boom!
As the knights charged in after him, dozens of soldiers were decapitated in a flash.
Although a few knights were mixed among the enemy ranks, they couldn’t hold back Ghislain’s group.
Their skill levels were too low, and there were fewer than five of them.
“Ahhh! Who are these people?”
When the lead knights and soldiers were killed in an instant, the remaining troops could do nothing but scream in terror.
These soldiers were inexperienced in real combat. Martin had focused on inflating the number of troops with wealth and influence rather than building an elite force, so it was inevitable.
In truth, the soldiers themselves had no intention of participating in proper training. In the west, no one dared to oppose the Roderick Marquisate, which left the troops complacent and lazy.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The soldiers who dared to face Ghislain and the Fenris knights were sent to their graves with each clash. Even those who didn’t directly attack them were beaten if they happened to be in their path.
Ghislain and the knights quickly reached their target building.
[The Castle’s Emerald Corridor]
A building constructed to accommodate noble guests and host grand banquets. In reality, however, it was being used to imprison the families of the Drake Mercenary Corps.
Occasionally, noble guests did use it, oblivious to the fact that hostages were confined within the same structure.
“This is it. Let’s go inside.”
The knights didn’t question how Ghislain knew this. If their lord said so, it must be true.
They swiftly dealt with the guards and entered, greeted only by darkness.
The absence of guests or ongoing festivities made the building seem entirely deserted.
Is this really the place?
The knights following Ghislain up the stairs couldn’t help but feel doubt. The complete silence was unsettling.
However, they soon realized the silence itself was unusual.
It doesn’t make sense for no one to be here.
Even if the building was vacant, it was too lavishly decorated to be left without staff.
This could only mean one thing…
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Doors burst open on all sides, and soldiers poured out. Unlike the ones outside, these troops moved with precision and exuded the aura of trained elites.
Some of them were visibly different from the regular soldiers in both weaponry and attire.
The knights, noticing their mismatched outfits, frowned in confusion.
Men dressed like this typically belonged to bandits, thieves, or perhaps…
“Mercenaries?”
The knights were slightly taken aback. These enemies clearly resembled mercenaries.
Among the knights, there were some with mercenary backgrounds, making them quick to identify the group.
Ghislain surveyed the enemies and spoke.
“They’re traitors from the Drake Mercenary Corps.”
“These bastards?”
“Yes, they’ve long been corrupted by Martin’s money. That’s why they’re guarding this place it makes them nervous.”
“There are this many traitors? Did Dominic not notice this?”
“It’s easy to deceive people when you rotate shifts and take turns guarding. But… something seems off. There are quite a lot of them here today.”
Ghislain grinned, prompting a rough-looking mercenary to step forward.
“Who are you? How do you know all this? You’re not someone I’ve seen before.”
“And who might you be?”
“Hampton, Deputy Commander of the Drake Mercenary Corps. I’ll ask you again who are you?”
“I’m the new leader of the Drake Mercenary Corps.”
“What?”
“I’m here to take over the mercenary corps.”
“Hah! You’ve got to be insane. Are you telling me you’re the one who ordered Dominic to summon the mercenaries?”
“Exactly. So, why are you still here instead of going to him? Aren’t you supposed to obey when the commander calls? Or is it because you’re traitors?”
Hampton let out a laugh, shrugging his shoulders.
“What on earth are you thinking? You came here to attack, didn’t you? And yet, you’ve gathered all the troops elsewhere and left this place with only a handful of people? Are you just a bait?”
It seemed Hampton didn’t fully understand the situation. He had assumed Dominic would attack this location in a desperate final move, so he had gathered the traitors here.
If Dominic assembled the entire mercenary corps, nearly 3,000 soldiers would converge. Even with the city’s full defensive forces and fortified mansions, victory would not come easily.
Sowing discord internally was also difficult, as Dominic had abruptly summoned the troops.
From the beginning, Dominic had built the mercenary corps himself, earning immense loyalty from its members. This made it nearly impossible to incite them against him.
Ultimately, the traitors, along with the men loyal to Hampton, had gathered here to use the hostages to their advantage.
Ghislain quickly grasped the situation and nodded.
“This works out nicely. Thanks for misunderstanding and gathering here. Now we can deal with all the trash at once.”
“Don’t get cocky. With the hostages in our hands, there’s nothing you can do. Do you really think you can break through here with just your small group?”
There were over 200 defenders here, including mercenaries. While the soldiers made up less than half of that, the gathered traitors from the mercenary corps bolstered their numbers significantly.
It was inconceivable that they wouldn’t be able to fend off a mere 20 intruders.
Hampton spun his massive flail and bellowed,
“Kill them all!”
Before the words had fully left his mouth, the mace was already hurtling toward Ghislain.
Swish.
Boom!
“What?”
But the mace smashed only the hapless ground. Ghislain, who had been standing in its path, had vanished in an instant.
“Grrrr…”
Hampton, who was turning his head in confusion, collapsed moments later, frothing blood from his mouth.
Blood gushed from the cleanly severed neck, spreading rapidly across the floor and staining it crimson.
Everyone stood stunned, looking around in all directions. Ghislain had already moved past the soldiers, cutting through their ranks.
Those who couldn’t sense mana had no way of tracking his movements. They alternated between staring dumbfounded at Hampton’s corpse and Ghislain.
“What the hell? Hampton’s dead? Just like that?”
“I… I couldn’t even see it.”
“How did he do that? Even for a knight…”
Hampton had been at the level of a novice knight who could wield mana. That was why he had been entrusted with the position of vice-commander of the mercenary corps.
They had believed, no matter how skilled the opponent, that this many people would not be easily defeated. They were confident they could win.
Yet Ghislain had effortlessly beheaded Hampton and pierced through their numbers without breaking a sweat.
These men, who had lived their peaceful lives in a western city, had never witnessed such combat prowess before.
With a cold gaze, Ghislain glanced at the knights and spoke.
“Kill them all. I’ll go ahead.”
Though well-trained, the guards and mercenaries were nothing more than hired security. For the Fenris knights, they posed no challenge.
Hearing Ghislain’s command, the knights bared their teeth in vicious grins.
Immediately, they unleashed their mana and charged into the soldiers and mercenaries.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Ahhh!”
As the knights began to move, screams erupted from all sides.
They tore through the soldiers like wolves leaping into a flock of sheep. Fenris’ wolves massacred the soldiers and mercenaries with ease.
These knights, forged in countless battles, faced no real opposition from those softened by peace and complacency.
While the knights slaughtered their enemies, Ghislain rapidly dispatched the soldiers guarding the upper floors.
Then, he began freeing the captives.
“Everyone, get out! We must escape quickly!”
When Ghislain shouted and opened the doors, the prisoners inside looked at him in shock.
“I’m here on Dominic’s orders! Hurry out!”
At his cry, doors from other rooms cautiously opened. People peeked out, their expressions shifting to surprise as they saw the dead soldiers. They quickly assessed the situation and gathered at one side of the hallway.
When every door had been opened, nearly fifty people had assembled. After carefully checking the remaining rooms, Ghislain shouted.
“Follow me! We need to escape before more soldiers arrive!”
The group hesitated. Despite grasping the situation from the bodies, their accumulated fear left them frozen in place.
Martin had instilled an overwhelming dread in them.
Boom!
Clicking his tongue, Ghislain stomped on the floor, the force cracking it and causing people to stumble. Their terrified gazes turned toward him.
There was no time to coax or persuade them. They had to follow, no questions asked. Ghislain spoke with unwavering authority.
“If you don’t move this instant, I’ll cut you down myself.”
Terrified, the group began to follow Ghislain. His overwhelming display of strength left no room for doubt. His earlier actions had been more than enough to convince them.
Perhaps because they had lived under constant threats, the captives responded particularly well to intimidation.
While Ghislain gathered the captives upstairs, the lower floors had already been cleared. Seeing the blood-soaked knights and the piled corpses, the prisoners squeezed their eyes shut.
As the group emerged from the building, soldiers swarmed in from all directions. Ghislain stepped forward and shouted.
“I’ll carve a path! Protect the hostages!”
Boom!
As Ghislain charged, the soldiers fell like dominoes. Their haphazard formations and uncoordinated attacks were no match for him.
Not that forming proper formations would have made much of a difference.
“Ahhh!”
“Who the hell is this guy?!”
“Stop him!”
The soldiers tried desperately to resist, but it was futile.
Slash!
Each swing of Ghislain’s sword took a life. Some soldiers, seeing their comrades fall, turned and fled in fear.
Cutting through the soldiers with ease, Ghislain quickly led the group to the entrance of a tunnel.
“Get inside, now!”
Overwhelmed by Ghislain’s intensity, the prisoners obediently entered the tunnel. They understood their odds were the same regardless of whether they stayed or followed.
Just as Ghislain thought the ordeal was nearly over, a woman spoke up, her eyes wide with fear.
“W-Wait! The captain’s family isn’t here!”
“What?”
“Dominic’s family isn’t among us!”
With families kept in separate rooms, no one could explain why they were missing. Ghislain swiftly pieced it together.
The enemy knew Dominic was mobilizing forces. It made sense they’d isolate his family as a contingency plan.
Other hostages held value, but the captain’s family carried far greater weight.
If they were separated, their likely location was near Martin.
Ghislain bit his lip slightly.
“This mission was supposed to be straightforward, but nothing’s going right.”
From the unexpected capture of Galbarik to everything spiraling out of control it all felt off. Then again, when has anything ever been easy?
Surveying the surroundings, Ghislain noticed an even larger wave of soldiers closing in. Most of the knights who had been guarding the mansion had likely shifted toward the tunnel.
Taking a deep breath, Ghislain turned and called out.
“Lucas, Gordon, with me. We’re going back for those that were left behind.”
The two men, hearing their names, stiffened in surprise.