Chapter 187: I'll Sweep Everything

Crackle.

The flames roared as they consumed the building.

Ian and a few others stood on the rooftop, observing the unfolding spectacle.

Nathan, however, stood there with his mouth agape.

“I can’t believe this insane plan actually worked,” he muttered.

It was only natural for him to be surprised.

Ian had recently purged his ranks of spies, and yet he, accompanied by knights and riding a black dragon, had soared through the sky and set fire to Garcia’s food warehouses.

Reflecting on it, it truly was a daring plan.

‘Even though a dragon can fly, it’s still the Duke of Garcia’s territory.’

The sheer number of soldiers and knights guarding the duchy was overwhelming.

Sneaking past their watchful eyes was one challenge, but setting fire to the heavily guarded food warehouses was an even greater feat.

Not just one or two, but more than half of them.

‘It was a risky operation with little chance of success.’

However, it succeeded.

The defenses were weaker than expected, primarily due to the limited number of knights guarding them.

‘Perhaps they were preoccupied by the battle with the royal soldiers outside.’

If there hadn’t been a war raging outside, they wouldn’t have been able to pull it off.

The archers on the walls would have spotted them, and the guards within the territory would have noticed the dragon.

Therefore, Nathan couldn’t resist asking, “How did Your Highness know?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your Highness not only believed that riding a dragon into the duchy would succeed but also foresaw the lax defense. How did you anticipate their weakness in defense?”

Ian smirked.

“It was obvious.”

“Pardon?”

“He is a duke who wields absolute influence within the territory. I thought he would naturally let his guard down.”

“?”

Nathan tilted his head, appearing puzzled.

However, Ian, drawing from his past life experiences, understood well.

‘Garcia always used his vast wealth to attack his enemies.’

Naturally, he would never have expected to be attacked in such a manner.

The food warehouses were at the very heart of his territory, situated right next to the heavily guarded duke’s castle.

‘He probably assumed no one would be audacious enough to breach such tight security and set fire there.’

This was something that no one in his previous life had ever considered.

So, Ian had taken the bold step and succeeded.

“And there’s one more thing.”

“What? What is it?”

Ian’s smile broadened, brighter than ever.

“Garcia isn’t the only one who uses spies.”

“What do you mean?”

Nathan was surprised, wondering when Ian had managed to plant a spy.

But to Ian, it was obvious.

‘Garcia’s second son, Heinley, is under my control. And there are those among them who wish to see him become the next duke.’

Thanks to Heinley, he was able to determine the guards’ patrol routes.

The location of the food warehouses and the enemy’s strength were easily obtained.

Ian smiled at the knights who followed him.

“But it was all thanks to you that the plan was successful.”

The flying black dragon had helped, of course, but the fact that they’d been able to set the food warehouses on fire in such a short time was all thanks to them.

However, Nathan seemed a little uneasy and asked, “But is this really okay? Setting fire to the food warehouses seems a bit excessive, don’t you think?”

“Even if I hadn’t done it, the Duke would have done it first.”

“Pardon?”

“Don’t you see it over there?”

Ian pointed in one direction.

There, a group of black-masked men were leaving the Garcia duchy.

It was clear that it was Duke Garcia’s Secret Special Force.

Ian’s lips curled upward.

“They’re the spies targeting our granaries. With their eyes and ears shut, I thought they’d be deployed.”

“Hm…”

Nathan stared at Ian in amazement. There was nothing more to say now that he had seen it with his own eyes.

Ian was right about everything.

But he still had some concerns.

“But don’t you think this location is too conspicuous, with Duke Garcia glaring at us from over there?”

Indeed, it was.

Ian and the knights were clearly visible amidst the blazing flames.

But Ian simply smiled and said, “There’s no other way. This is the highest point from which we can track the enemy’s movements.”

“!”

The largest buildings in the Duchy of Garcia were the castle and the food warehouses.

The latter was smaller than the castle, but it was still as large as several buildings combined.

Thanks to this, the enemy’s movements could be clearly read.

‘And it was exactly as expected.’

With the spies cut off, he knew that the Secret Special Force would act immediately.

Thanks to this, he could confirm that they were heading towards his territory.

Assassins posed a threat due to their stealth, but once their whereabouts, trajectory, and timing were identified, their effectiveness waned.

‘So, we’ll take them out here.’

Just as he was keeping a watchful eye on the enemy, some of the guards who had been knocked out near the food warehouses started to regain consciousness.

“Ugh…”

Apparently, some of them had been hit too lightly.

Nathan struck at the guards with his sheathed sword.

“Remain unconscious a bit longer.”

Thwack!

Ian warned him just in case.

“Remember, refrain from killing the soldiers.”

“Of course. I only knocked them out.”

Nathan looked puzzled, of course.

Why bother knocking down the guards instead of just killing them outright?

Ian raised the corner of his mouth.

“If we set fire to the food warehouses, there will still be food left. We must prolong this situation to inconvenience Duke Garcia as much as possible, don’t you agree?”

“Oh…”

Nathan slapped his forehead upon realizing that point.

He shook his head, calling Ian ruthless.

At that, Ian’s eyebrows twitched.

“Don’t forget, we are dealing with someone even more ruthless.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Look over there.”

Ian gestured towards the castle, not the Secret Special Force, where soldiers and knights were rapidly advancing under Duke García’s orders.

“Kill them!”

“Leave none alive!”

However, something seemed amiss.

There were significantly more troops heading towards Ian than those dispatched to quell the flames engulfing the food warehouses.

“That’s Duke Garcia for you.”

Most lords would have prioritized extinguishing the fire in the food warehouses.

If food supplies were depleted, the ones who would suffer the most would not be the lords but the citizens.

If the food warehouses burned, it could easily lead to public unrest.

“Yet, he has chosen to pursue me instead of handling that problem. He likely believes capturing me is more important than the food supply.”

Others would have panicked and been at a loss for what to do.

But the duke had chosen to hunt down Ian rather than suffer a loss of hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of gold.

It was typical of Garcia, always making cold, calculated decisions.

Ian watched him with a cold expression.

“Don’t think of him like a normal lord or knight. We’re facing the wealthiest man in this country.”

He meant that they had to deal with him in a way that befitted such a powerful enemy.

Just then, Nathan urged Ian, “Um… But, Your Highness? Shouldn’t we start fleeing now?”

It was only natural.

Waaaah!

Knights were climbing up onto the burning building.

Even if Nathan was strong, there was no way he could fight them all off.

And it wasn’t just the knights.

The burning building had illuminated the area, making them easy targets.

“Capture those who set the food warehouses on fire!”

“It’s Duke’s orders to kill them all!”

It wasn’t one or two people.

Behind the knights, there were countless soldiers and even armed civilians.

The entire Garcia territory was moving.

At that moment, the archers surrounding the food warehouses aimed their bows at them.

“Your Highness?”

Before they shot their arrows, Nathan urged Ian to summon the black dragon again.

But Ian shook his head.

“Not yet. I have unfinished business.”

“Huh?”

“There is something I must attend to.”

Ian glanced towards the Duke’s castle.

Duke Garcia had rallied all the castle’s forces and was advancing towards them.

Their gazes locked momentarily.

‘How does it feel to be caught in the same trap you intended for me?’

Ian felt Garcia’s furious stare, but his expression remained unchanged.

‘This is just the beginning. I’ll take everything from you soon.’

This is Ian’s true declaration of war in this life.

A slow smile crept across his lips.

***

Among war supplies, food is the most precious.

The vast stores of food that Duke García had amassed for his grand schemes were now engulfed in flames.

The chief officer shouted toward the Duke.

“We need to get the food out quickly. We must save what we can—”

But the Duke replied in a chilling voice.

“Food can wait. Prioritize dealing with the Seventh Prince.”

“But… But without food, we won’t be able to continue the battle immediately…”

“Have you not heard my orders? I distinctly said to deal with the prince first.”

“I… I will comply.”

At the Duke’s command, the chief officer rushed out.

All the forces of the castle and the territory were mobilized not to extinguish the fire but to go after Ian.

“We must capture the Seventh Prince at any cost! Failure is not an option!”

The Duke followed the departing troops.

Approaching the Duke, the knight commander inquired cautiously, “Are you certain about forgoing the food? Those reserves are crucial for the grand plan. The First Prince may not take kindly to this.”

“If you possess wealth, food can be acquired. However, if you allow that brat to escape, you may never get another chance.”

“Understood.”

The knight commander stopped trying to persuade the Duke.

Instead, he drew his sword and activated his Oath, determined to hold the Seventh Prince accountable for his actions.

But at that very moment—

“T-they’re escaping!”

“Everyone, chase after them! We cannot let them get away!”

Ian and his knights began to flee without looking back.

The chief officer, confused and frustrated, shouted.

“How dare they set fire to the territory and the food warehouses and nonchalantly run away… Those damn bastards…”

Yet Duke García maintained his cold gaze.

“It’s fine.”

“Pardon?”

“We haven’t revealed all our cards yet.”

Duke Garcia’s eyes remained cold.

It was inevitable.

The known number of Ian’s knights in the world was only three.

Counting those who were secretly following, it amounted to about five.

“There are five of them here now. That means only Galon, the Invisible, is guarding the territory.”

“If that’s the case…”

“If we can hold them here, it means his territory will turn into a sea of flames.”

“Indeed! You had a strategy in mind, my lord.”

He was counting on the Secret Special Force that had been dispatched to burn Ian’s food warehouse.

Although how they had learned to strike first was still a mystery.

“I won’t just sit idly by, either. That brat will come to regret touching me.”

A fierce fire ignited in Duke Garcia’s eyes.

And his forces eventually succeeded in driving Ian into a dead end.

“If they cross that building, they’ll reach the walls. Our archers are waiting there.”

“Keep all the archers ready. We must finish them off here.”

“As you command!”

It truly was the end now.

“Seventh Prince. You’ve put up a decent fight. But even you, with all your arrogance, it’s over now.”

However, something felt off.

‘What is it? Their movements are strange.’

While they were pushed towards the castle wall, they seemed to be stalling, almost as if they were waiting for something.

‘Perhaps they’re waiting for reinforcements?’

It was a possibility.

There were royal troops encamped outside.

They might have come to help when they saw the fires in the territory.

But the duke dismissed this thought.

‘No, that’s implausible. If the royal soldiers had arrived, we would have been signaled by now.’

Unless they could fly, it would be difficult to escape.

But even that didn’t make sense.

‘Our archers at the gates are the best. There’s no way they could escape, even if they could fly.’

They would be skewered by arrows before they ever had a chance to flee.

At that moment, the Duke seemed to recall something and asked the chief officer.

“By the way, how did they infiltrate the castle?”

“I, I don’t know. Perhaps they snuck in?”

“Impossible. I was just informed that all our spies had disappeared. It would have taken them a significant time to reach here. How could this be possible?”

Teleportation or warp technology had been lost ages ago.

Unless they could fly, breaching well-defended territory seemed unfeasible.

And then, it happened.

Roarrr!

A massive black dragon soared into the sky.

Ian and several others rode on its back.

“That was it!”

Duke García grasped Ian’s escape plan and signaled swiftly.

“Signal the archers. Shoot immediately before they can flee!”

“I-I’ll send the signal right now!”

However, the archers who received the command remained still. Naturally, they couldn’t move.

“Where are they headed?”

“They’re not making their way to the castle gates!”

Ian’s group veered in a direction away from the archers stationed at the castle gates.

Instead, they flew over Duke Garcia’s troops and turned towards the opposite side—the direction of the recently razed food warehouses.

“What on earth are they doing? There are troops left behind to extinguish the flames!”

“Huh? They’re passing by the food warehouses.”

“?”

It was unfathomable what their intentions were.

Duke García’s eyes widened in sudden realization.

“Could it be…?”

Indeed, it was.

Ian was headed straight for Duke Garcia’s castle.

With his forces concentrated on capturing Ian, the castle lay almost deserted.

At that moment, the chief officer’s face was drained of color.

“This is bad! The castle contains not only the wealth of our family but also ancient defensive mechanisms!”

Those defenses were nearly impenetrable.

No matter how vast the enemy force, they could be wiped out rather than break through.

However, the Duke remained composed.

“Fear not. Only I can activate the castle’s defenses.”

“Ah! That’s correct!”

“Unless they are aware of that, they are merely cornered rats.”

Furthermore, Ian couldn’t escape on the dragon. The elite archers would have them in their sights before they could take off.

At that moment, something unexpected happened.

Creak, creak!

The castle gates began to rise.

It wasn’t just closing; it seemed that ancient defensive mechanisms were activating as sharp spikes emerged.

“That can’t be. I am the sole controller of the castle in the family.”

But that was not all that astonished him.

Clank, clank!

Various weapons began emerging from the castle.

The defense system that had been passed down through generations of the Duke’s family had been triggered.

“What the hell…?”

Yet, there was no time to be surprised.

Squeak, squeak!

The weapons turned to aim at the Duke.

His alarmed subordinates cried out.

“Be careful!”

“Your Grace! You’re in danger!”

But before they could react, it was too late.

Boom! Boom!

A tremendous explosion erupted toward Duke Garcia.

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