Chapter 464: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility (2)
On a vast plain, two massive armies faced each other.
One side bore the banners of the Northern Army, while the other flew the standard of the Duke of Delfine's forces.
Count Mathes, leading the 2nd Legion of the Ducal Army, turned to the person beside him and asked,
“Hmm, are we certain that Count Fenris is absent?”
“Yes. If he didn’t want to lose his father and younger sister, he wouldn’t have stayed still,” came the reply.
The person speaking was Dentaria, a judge of the Salvation Church.
Dentaria was the priest who had incited the barbarians to create fractures in the Northern region. Having completed that mission, he had now joined the Delfine Army.
Count Mathes nodded as he spoke.
“Even without Count Fenris, the Northern Army remains an elite force. They have many strong individuals, and their equipment is renowned for its high quality. The priests will need to lend their strength.”
The skills of the knights and soldiers of both armies were likely comparable. However, the issue lay with their equipment and weapons.
The Northern Army was famous for maintaining mobility while transporting siege weapons, all thanks to new technology devised by Count Fenris.
The Delfine Army, needing to move quickly, had not brought siege weapons. Instead, they planned to clear the path and have their supply unit bring the equipment afterward.
However, it was clear that the Northern Army had likely positioned a significant number of catapults.
“We must carve a path through as quickly as possible. We cannot afford to engage them in a prolonged siege with equal numbers of catapults.”
In contrast, the Northern Army only needed to buy time. There was no need for them to initiate the battle first.
If the Northern Army had slightly fewer soldiers, it wouldn’t have been a problem. Even if the enemy used catapults, sheer numbers could overwhelm them.
But the Northern Army also boasted a force of 80,000, making it unwise to engage recklessly.
Hearing Count Mathes’ concerns, Dentaria replied with a reassuring expression.
“The Northern Army without Count Fenris will naturally be less formidable. As long as we neutralize their 7th-circle mage, we priests will lead the charge, clearing the path and destroying their catapults. There will be some losses, but it won’t be a major concern.”
“Hmm, understood.”
Count Mathes had no choice but to place his trust in the superhuman priests.
With the enemy's heavy deployment of catapults, any form of tactical maneuvering held little meaning. It was akin to assaulting a fortress without walls.
Thus, the superhuman priests needed to disrupt the enemy lines first.
‘Without Count Fenris, this should be feasible.’
Count Mathes truly believed so. After all, three high-ranking priests were participating in the battle.
If they could annihilate the Northern Army, Count Fenris would lose his foundation. After that, the war would become significantly easier.
Although coalition forces from other nations were arriving one by one, they were not the main forces. By capturing the capital and organizing everything step by step, victory would be assured.
Count Mathes harbored not a shred of doubt about their success.
His thoughts were solely on minimizing casualties and carrying out the additional orders he had received.
“There is a directive to eliminate someone named Alfoi during this battle.”
“Are you referring to that hidden 7th-circle mage?”
“Yes. Once we breach the enemy lines, if you identify someone suspected to be him, kill him first. Prevent him from retreating and reuniting with Count Fenris.”
“Understood. I’ve already seen his portrait, so I’ll find and kill him as soon as we finish destroying their weapons.”
Dentaria smirked with a cruel grin.
The Ducal faction had suffered greatly at the hands of Count Fenris, mainly due to too many unpredictable variables. One of those was the mysterious Alfoi.
The plan was to eliminate such variables one by one, regaining control over the situation.
Watching Dentaria’s amused expression, Count Mathes wore a bitter look.
‘There’s no turning back now.’
The vassals based in the South could not oppose the Duke of Delfine. They had long known how terrifying the Duke could be.
If the vassals defected like the other nobles, swift retribution would follow.
Their lands would be endangered, and their families, held hostage by the Duke, would face uncertain fates.
Although taking hostages from vassals' heirs and families was an age-old tradition, Raul had taken an unprecedented number of hostages.
Even lords indifferent to their families found themselves unable to escape the Duke’s grip. After all, no one valued their life lightly.
‘There’s no choice, but to overthrow the kingdom. Only then can we survive.’
Victory in this civil war was the only path forward. They had to see it through to the end with the Salvation Church.
With a war lacking justification, compounded by fear of the Ducal faction and the Salvation Church, the soldiers’ morale was less than ideal.
The well-trained elite troops, however, were the only ones they could rely on.
“Advance the entire army.”
At Count Mathes’ command, the Delfine army began to move.
The Northern army had already completed their preparations for battle.
With a relaxed expression, Claude spoke to those around him.
“Once the fight starts, we’ll win anyway. Those guys don’t have any siege weapons right now. There’s no need to worry. They’ll just die as soon as we hit them.”
Behind the Northern army, hundreds of catapults were already positioned. With this many, the enemy could be wiped out the moment they entered range.
Ghislain had used catapults extensively during his battle against Marquis Roderick. When properly deployed in open field combat, catapults were a formidable weapon.
Tenant, who had once fought against the Fenris army, voiced a concern.
“They must know we have this many catapults. Yet, they’re advancing, which means they’re confident. There could even be a transcendent among them.”
Logically, it was more likely there wasn’t a transcendent. Such beings were exceedingly rare. Officially, fewer than four were known to exist.
However, after capturing Lavierre, it was revealed that the Salvation Church had hidden transcendent individuals. It wasn’t something that could be dismissed outright.
“If they have a transcendent, their first target would be the catapults. We can fend them off with our current forces, but the damage will be significant.”
Although there were two transcendent individuals on their side whose presence was yet undisclosed, if an enemy transcendent infiltrated their ranks and caused chaos, losses would be inevitable.
Claude nodded, indicating he was aware of the situation.
“Then we’ll need to respond accordingly. Lady Ereneth will need to exert some effort!”
“Yes, what would you have me do?”
“Well, you’ll have to go out first! Stop the enemy advance!”
“...Me? Alone?”
“Yes! By yourself!”
“...Even I cannot hold off an army of 100,000 by myself.”
No matter how extraordinary a transcendent might be, taking on 100,000 soldiers alone was impossible. Even if the army consisted solely of ordinary soldiers, exhaustion would set in before they could finish.
Let alone the fact that they were dealing with the Duke’s faction, the most powerful in the kingdom. Their ranks would undoubtedly include elite knights and mages, and a transcendent was almost guaranteed.
To go out alone would be certain death.
As Ereneth showed signs of hesitation, Claude called out in a solemn tone.
“Lady Ereneth! Don’t you understand that great power comes with great responsibility? To minimize the damage, you must step forward first!”
It sounded like he was telling her to go out, kill as many as possible, and cause havoc before dying, all to reduce casualties.
Even the ever-composed Ereneth couldn’t hide her irritation at those words.
“And what about you? You want to burden me with this responsibility while you do nothing?”
Claude puffed out his chest and replied confidently.
“I have no great power, so I have no responsibilities either.”
“...”
An awkward silence filled the command post. Even Kaor and Alfoi, known for their unruly behavior, showed expressions of contempt.
Wendy quickly covered Claude’s mouth and bowed her head.
“I’m sorry. He’s usually like this, but he’s even worse today for some reason…”
Struggling against Wendy’s grip, Claude managed to free himself and shouted.
“No! Hear me out! Before the enemy speeds up and charges, Lady Ereneth must act first!”
As people looked on in puzzlement, Claude carefully explained his thoughts.
“Listen, just listen for a moment. Lady Ereneth should go out, but don’t make it obvious that you’re a transcendent just act like a top-tier knight…”
Claude continued his explanation. While it wasn’t entirely clear, there was something plausible about his reasoning that left the listeners somewhat convinced.
Ereneth nodded eventually. Ghislain had told her to follow Claude’s orders in battle, so she decided to comply this time.
“Very well. I’ll go. But if things don’t go as you say, I won’t follow your commands anymore.”
“Of course! If it doesn’t work out, I’ll step down myself.”
With Claude’s confident declaration, Ereneth stepped forward.
What she didn’t know was that Claude had always been looking for an opportunity to step down.
The Delfine army increased their pace. They intended to charge the moment they entered the range of the catapults.
This strategy, of course, relied on the three transcendent individuals leading their vanguard. They believed that with their power, they could break the enemy’s ranks.
Count Mathes raised his hand and gave his order.
“The vanguard will soon enter the range of the catapults. Move quickly and pierce the enemy formation.”
The army numbered a staggering 100,000. The middle and rear ranks would certainly suffer significant losses from the catapults.
But if the vanguard could engage, and their transcendent broke through to destroy the catapults, the rest of the army could crush the Northern forces.
“Mages, prepare yourselves! Nullify the enemy’s 7th-circle mage’s magic!”
The Delfine army’s mages began to channel their mana.
There were as many as five 6th-circle mages participating in the battle. In addition, there were numerous 5th- and 4th-circle mages.
Even if the enemy had a 7th-circle mage, they believed they could suppress their magic.
As the Delfine army drew closer to the Northern forces and picked up speed, someone suddenly exclaimed.
“Huh? What’s that?”
An elf suddenly dashed out from the Northern army’s formation, blocking the path of the advancing Delfine forces.
The elf exuded an overwhelming presence. Upon seeing this, Count Mathes frowned.
“It’s obvious what they’re trying to do.”
He momentarily slowed the army’s advance to consult with Dentaria, who was nearby.
“They seem to be requesting a knightly duel. What are your thoughts?”
“Hmm, judging by their aura, they seem to be a top-tier knight. It’s a good opportunity to eliminate them before the battle.”
“I agree. With Count Fenris absent, they’re resorting to all sorts of tricks.”
“They likely have no idea there are three transcendents on our side.”
No one would imagine a single army containing three transcendents. To completely annihilate the Northern forces, the Ducal faction and the Salvation Church had gone to great lengths.
Of course, the Northern army was also renowned for having outstanding individuals. It appeared they were planning to boost morale by sending a strong combatant for the duel.
If they could defeat the challenger here, it would bolster their own army’s morale further. From a tactical standpoint, it was a favorable opportunity they couldn’t pass up.
“There aren’t many targets marked for execution Gillian, Kaor, Belinda... but this elf doesn’t match any of the known descriptions. It couldn’t possibly be that foul-mouthed elf.”
Dentaria tilted his head a few times before continuing.
“Well, judging by their aura, they seem comparable to those marked for elimination. Killing them in advance can only benefit us.”
“Exactly. Eliminating someone like that will minimize the damage when our forces clash.”
“I’ll go out and deal with them quickly. As soon as I kill them, Commander, you should lead the charge. I’ll follow immediately.”
“Understood.”
Count Mathes deliberately slowed the army’s march.
The Delfine army, advancing as if they might stop at any moment, finally halted when their vanguard entered the range of the catapults. Yet, no attack came from the Northern army.
“As expected, they want a duel. Very well. Once the duel ends, we’ll press the attack.”
Although the elf seemed quite strong, Dentaria, a transcendent, would face them. Even if the elf were near-transcendent, Dentaria would surely emerge victorious.
If the elf were truly so formidable, their name would have already spread widely.
While the Count had prepared for significant losses, the opportunity to remove a powerful enemy before battle was a stroke of luck.
Dentaria strode forward confidently, stopping in front of Ereneth.
“What’s your name? You don’t seem to match any of the information we have.”
“Ereneth.”
“An elf by that name... you’re not Lumina or Ascon.”
Ereneth ignored his remark and posed a question instead.
“Why have you halted your army?”
“Isn’t it obvious? To engage in a knightly duel.”
“That’s true. But I didn’t think you’d actually come out. Wouldn’t it have been better to simply charge and fight? If you lost, your situation would’ve grown far worse.”
“Ha, hahaha! Lose? Me? You foolish elf, do you even know who you’re talking to?”
“Then you’re saying you came out here expecting to win.”
“Exactly. With Count Fenris absent, the Northern army no longer has a transcendent. No one here can challenge me.”
A dark aura began to seep from Dentaria’s body, rising like smoke. The oppressive energy bore down heavily on Ereneth.
Wearing a cruel smile, Dentaria sneered.
“As you said, the catapults put us at a disadvantage. Naturally, we must accept your duel proposal. Eliminating a warrior of your caliber will reduce our losses.”
“Is that so? Fascinating.”
“What’s so fascinating?”
“That you’re moving exactly as that frivolous man predicted.”
Drdrdrdrd.
Vines sprouted from the ground beneath Ereneth’s feet, climbing up to wrap around her body. Before long, she was clad in armor crafted from wood, with antler-like protrusions rising from her head.
A gentle green energy radiated from her, swirling protectively around her form.
Seeing this, Dentaria’s eyes narrowed.
“You… were hiding your power?”
The energy emanating from her now was far beyond the top-tier level it was that of a transcendent.
Ereneth stepped forward, her tone calm yet firm.
“You should have brought your entire army to trample me. If you had, I would’ve retreated.”
“What?”
“In truth, we also intended to eliminate one of your transcendents before the battle.”
Flash!
A brilliant green light erupted from her eyes, shining with immense intensity.