Chapter 222

Episode 222: “As Expected, It Comes to This.”

From the moment I saw the aura bursting from the master’s sword, no, since the time this war had been decided, I had been prepared.

As soon as Logan saw the enemies advancing, he bellowed back at them.

“Advance, all forces! Smash the tyrant’s lackeys to pieces!!”

As his command fell, a hundred red stones were shot from the rearguard of the knight order towards the enemy.

Boom!

“Aargh!”

The red bombs, now surpassing the range of the rapid-fire crossbows that both sides possessed, began to fall.

One after the other, casualties began to emerge from the vanguards of the Esperanza Knights, and soon, a superhuman figure enwrapped in silvery winds emerged amidst them.

“No chance!”

Silver winds shot from the front of the Esperanza Knights twisted the trajectory of the incoming Liberatio’s projectiles at bizarre angles, and with that, as if they were awaiting this moment, a giant over 3 meters tall sprang forth, plunging into the enemy’s formation.

“Wecken! Today is the day we end this!”

Luther Kyle’s roar.

With him, including Logan, the MacLaine Knight Order began their charge towards the enemies.

“Die!”

“Drop dead yourself!!”

Boom!

Clang. Clang!

Bang!

In an instant, the elite of both camps drew closer amidst the intense noise, stirring up a crimson mist of blood.

– Just hold out as long as you can.

‘Alright. I surely will.’

Padric clenched his teeth, recalling the conversation he had with his son before the war began.

“It’s not necessary to defeat the Esperanza Knights.”

“What?”

“The fight will end with a confrontation between my master and me anyway. The king is after me, and the one who centers that is the master.”

If Logan or the master falls, the war ends.

That simple logic was easy to understand.

However.

“Then shouldn’t we smash the Esperanza Knights as quickly as possible to pressure the Sword Master even more?”

“That person will not be swayed by such matters. And brawling until both families bleed out will only result in loss for the kingdom as a whole.”

“… Are you serious? Talking about the kingdom’s loss in this situation?”

“It’s about reducing needless casualties.”

“… By holding back, we might incur even greater damage.”

Padric looked worried, but Logan was firm.

“Whether we win or lose, the duel between my master and me won’t last long. And if we set out with the determination to simply hold out, we’ll suffer fewer casualties than if we were fighting for an end.”

“Holding out against the kingdom’s finest knight order, you say.”

“Yes. I trust in you, Father.”

“Ha… Still, I can’t help but worry. Can you truly defeat the Sword Master? At least if Clayton were to join forces…”

Logan shook his head firmly.

“If that happens, someone from Esperanza will interfere. Then it will turn into a melee again.”

“Even if a melee would give us a better chance…”

“Father. I wasn’t joking when I said the empire is invading. This isn’t something we can get over just this once. We must preserve the power of our family, the power of our nation if we are to survive in the end.”

“What’s the use of all of that if you end up dead!”

“If I lose, then immediately surrender and submit to the master. Without me, the king would be satisfied, and our family would not be completely expelled.”

“What are you saying…!”

“Of course, I plan to win. But it’s about the ‘just in case’.”

Padric watched as his son turned around with a bitter smile, a clear anxiety lingering on his face.

Having a plan is one thing, but facing the Sword Master is another.

While it’s natural to feel this way, thinking of his son’s face made his heart heavy.

‘I have failed as a father, burdening my son with all of this.’

If only he had become a superhuman, if only he had been a little stronger…

Thud thud thud thud.

“Lord!”

“Yes. I’m watching.”

Hoo.

Padric watched the approaching Esperanza Knights, exhaling deeply and shaking off his distractions.

Looking around.

“Degrom. You’ve prepared as told, haven’t you?”

“Yes! Of course.”

The Knights Captain, Degrom with the brown hair, answers with a resounding voice.

“Sir Jorge. I have to stop Sir Louis, and you have to stop Sir Ryan. You’re confident, aren’t you?”

“Leave it to me, Lord.”

The second-ranked superknight of the territory, Jorge, also showed confidence in his face.

“Victor, Henderson. Are you ready on that side?”

“Preparations are complete!”

“That’s good. Don’t falter. Today we change the name of the greatest knight order of the kingdom!”

“Yes!!”

Except for the daughter-in-law who stepped back to lead nearly a thousand troops, the best knights of MacLaine were ready.

If only the second son who had left home was here, it would have been great, but the thoughts were fruitless; having entered the southern mountains on a long mission, being out of touch for months now felt oddly reassuring.

‘If everything goes wrong, at least Ronian will live… No, stop those weak thoughts!’

Padric hastily shook his head, discarding the ominous premonitions that had surfaced.

Now was the time to trust his eldest son.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Negative thoughts could wait until after his son was defeated.

Of course, even then, there was no plan to surrender as easily as his son had asked.

‘If you fall, there’ll be no meaning in a kingdom or anything to me. So you must succeed, Logan.’

And with that determination, his target seemed within reach.

Louis Haion, the Vice-Captain of the Esperanza Knights and the right hand of the Sword Master.

Louis glanced at the approaching enemy knights and then at Ryan Hemil, the high-ranking knight riding alongside him.

– Objectively, we are the villains in this situation. The evil that harms the kingdom.

Piercing words of conscience.

The very person who has said those words.

The Esperanza Knights had continued to be noisy till the start of the march, and Ryan Hemil, among them, had opposed the war.

Of course, he felt the same, but even so.

“Ryan. We are the Sword Master’s blade. You know that, right?”

“That’s a given.”

“Right, crush our enemies following our lord’s will. Just focus on that!”

“Yes!”

Advising their lord is unquestionably the duty of a knight.

But if that counsel isn’t heeded and the sword is turned in reverse, then they are nothing but a thug with strength.

And those he knew in the Esteem Knights, every elite, were true knights.

‘Although it’s unfortunate that fate has twisted this way, I cannot help it, Young Master Logan.’

Louis, eyeing the knights in flame-emblazoned armor coming towards him, firmed his resolve, gathering his powers.

Starting at the helmet to the tip of his toes – and even his horse – he intensified his force, easily deflecting the torrential barrage of quarrels.

The average knight of Esperanza was a mastery-level force user.

For those aware, the Esperanza Knights, equipped with shields in anticipation of the crossbows, were confident they wouldn’t budge from those bolts.

Of course, there was a problem.

Boom.

The red bombs burst even from a light touch.

They were a bit threatening, but.

‘There will be no more.’

They were already about to clash with the enemy knights.

Unless they planned to blow up their own, they could no longer use the bombs.

Now, all distractions must be cleared, focusing only on crushing the enemy.

“Charge!!”

Following the shout of Louis Haion, the vanguard of the Esperanza Knights simultaneously raised their lances.

The high-ranking knights, even those in guest ranks, blazed with red force at the tips of their lances.

The outcome of war is ultimately decided in the battle between powerhouses.

Even facing an army twice their size, they surged ahead with the confidence that they could shatter anything in their path with the strongest spear.

But as Louis raised his lance, something odd caught his eye.

‘A shield, not a lance? What the—?’

His brows narrowed in confusion, but there was no time to ponder as the collision occurred.

Boom!

The enormous sound filling the battlefield.

The clash of the two knight orders created a deafening sound that silenced all noise of the battlefield.

And as a result.

Contrary to someone’s expectations yet perfectly matching another’s,

both assaults ceased, forming a fierce standoff.

Throwing away his crushed lance, Louis Haion unwound his stinging wrist and drew his sword.

‘Damn it! A golem? How could a mere golem withstand my lance…’

Seconds before the two camps clashed.

About fifty battle golems, suddenly sprung from the ground, took the brunt of the Esperanza Knights’ charge, whereas the shields of the MacLaine Knight order followed, clashing with the lances.

This caused the lance-wielding Esperanza Knights to be pushed back, almost breaking formation.

The golems crumbled from just that single impact, but their attempt to pierce the enemy in one go had already been thwarted.

And ahead was still the opposing knight order, more than double in number.

“Looks like the knights have spent too much time practicing tricks rather than lance charging.”

Louis couldn’t help his stern expression, but the enemy before him seemed more at ease.

“How could we be careless when opposing the Esperanza Knights? We trained thoroughly.”

Throwing away his shattered round shield, Padric now drew his beloved sword Velocitas.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, but it’s a pity to meet this way, Sir Louis Haion.”

“It’s likewise regrettable, Duke. But I can’t let you go.”

Whooosh.

From Louis’ sword burst a flame-like force blade.

The halt of the Esperanza knights’ assault and the standoff that followed were signals to him that the tide of the battle was already turning against him.

But his opponents seemed to hold the opposite view.

“Do we really need to get heated with each other?”

“Attack!”

Disregarding Padric’s words, Louis charged forward.

Ssshring! Grind.

Despite the clash of blades and a grimace, Padric’s tongue didn’t cease.

“Ultimately, the outcome of this fight will be determined elsewhere.”

Padric looked towards the center of the battlefield while speaking.

“Before that decision is made, you will have died by my hand.”

Grind. Bang!

There was no waning in Louis’ fighting spirit.

‘Can’t be helped.’

Padric, shaking his head at this, couldn’t help but engage with firm eyes.

In a different part of the field, away from them.

The area Padric glanced at for a moment where the key figures of this battlefield drew their swords.

Watching his master dismount from the black horse and approach him, Logan let out a slight sigh.

His master’s appearance had changed greatly since their first meeting when he had seemed no more than middle-aged.

Most of his once lustrous blond hair had turned white, and deep wrinkles were clear on his face.

‘…Master.’

They met as a fortunate connection and strived together for a better future.

How had things become so entangled?

‘But.’

Squeeze.

Despite the bitter feelings, his hand gripped the sword even tighter.

“I must do this.”

To prevent weakness in his heart, Logan resolutely drew his sword.

Swoosh.

As he did, the stern face of his master, charging towards him, loomed larger in his view, until suddenly—it was nearly upon him.