Level up with swords (201)
Al control.
It is one of the key points in the border area that protects the Clyde Empire from the Kingdom of Jugend, and is a base where more than five times as much power is consumed if a siege is attempted by normal means.
Even decades ago, Jugend had attacked this Alger several times, throwing away only the gunpowder on the ground.
however.
“I guess this will be enough. Thank you very much for participating in this meeting. “Count.”
“… It was truly an honor to meet you. “Cardinal.”
The Margrave, holding hands with Irexana, bowed once and left the conference room while keeping his expression the same.
He felt like yelling, but Irexana was now his superior in name and reality. Even though he was yelling, he had no choice but to run wild in his room, smashing things.
Irexana, who vaguely read what was going on, let out a bitter smile.
“Oh my, did I unintentionally strike the final blow?”
A few days after Leon and his party left Alger, the Jugend army, led by Irexana, encountered Alger Castle with a white flag.
At first, I thought even the flag was a cunning trick, but after reading the margrave walking out from inside the castle gate and the letter he brought, I could no longer doubt it.
Alzer Castle has surrendered!
A fortress that, although not impregnable, was equivalent to that and could hold Jugend for a long time, was opened without resistance.
“I didn’t know he had arranged it.”
“yes? Cardinal, if it were him… no way!”
“Well, I guess it’s as you think.”
Geoff, the Holy Iron Knight waiting outside the conference room, widened his eyes. To the members of the Holy Order, the warrior was a being who symbolized the power and grace of the goddess.
He realized it after the Kaleido Spider incident, but now he was one of the warrior Leon’s ardent followers.
Irexana muttered, letting him be impressed.
“Anyway, I never thought the evil cult’s grip would have spread so deep within the empire. “If they are going to destroy a strategic point like Alger Castle, the emperor may have already become their puppet.”
“If that’s the case, isn’t the Empire a heresy?”
“You can’t stick a spear knife into its body just because its upper head is rotten. Also, even if we try to make the empire a continent, it will only result in blood and death, as per the evil cult’s purpose.”
Anyone who knows how to see a large country could not have known this.
The evil cult had only one goal: to expand the war.
They also tried to destroy strategic points near the border from within.
He also prepared a method that was likely to be used in Alcontrol Castle.
“〈Curse of Frenzy〉, it’s an old-fashioned but effective move.”
It was a relief.
If Leon had not stopped it, the Jugend army would have escaped the control of Irexana and the church and advanced into the empire.
None of the residents of Alzer Castle would have survived.
Even if that were the case, the Holy Church could not attack the Jugend Army, so it was literally a unilateral attack.
Irexana frowned, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu.
‘These are techniques that seem like I’ve dealt with them before somewhere. It’s like pushing the other person’s back and pushing them into a swamp from which they can’t escape… .’
It was then.
He said ah! With a sudden realization, I kicked off my chair and got up. Xeorp grabbed the sword at his waist in surprise, but he was never in sight.
Either way, Irexana’s head kept spinning.
‘Indeed, it was him! After disappearing for nearly 50 years, he went into hiding in the Clyde Empire!’
Morse, Bishop of Chaos.
He is a member of the <Exorcism Bishop>, the leader of evil that the evil cult is proud of, but his identity and identity are all kept under wraps.
Combat power is so-so.
Although it can be said to be at the level of a bishop, it is weak compared to the infamous bishops of ‘Ruin’ or ‘Despair’. Nevertheless, Morse was one of the first targets to be killed by the Holy Church.
‘If he truly intervened, the Empire is already in the wrong.’
Pure evil.
This was the impression Irexana felt after encountering Mors once.
He was born only to spread evil in this world, and his only purpose in life is to blaspheme light and goodness.
Considering that even the madness-filled <Chaos> sect succumbed to his evil, it was highly likely that the Light Emperor Nex was controlled by him from beginning to end.
“… I’ll have to let him know. “He doesn’t know anything and he’s not a guy worth dealing with.”
Irexana said, immediately looking back at Xeorp.
“Lord Geoff, is there a means of delivering news to the vicinity of the ecliptic Karelum? “I think the sooner the better.”
“I wouldn’t know it in normal times, but it’s difficult right now. In territories where a war regime has been declared, the identities of those entering are thoroughly checked. “If Seongcheolsoe moves directly, it will cause people to be cautious.”
“It’s something that not even the Holy Iron Chain Knights can do, so then… ah.”
He was thinking deeply about something when he snapped his fingers.
“When I think about it again, there was one person who was the right person. “We haven’t crossed the Clyde border yet, so please get my word out as soon as possible.”
“To whom and where should I deliver it?”
Irexana spoke the name of the right person.
“Cardinal Adella, to the Barony of Bilton in the Kingdom of Fermat.”
* * *
Gateway city.
Because of the special nature of managing all roads entering the imperial capital of Karellum, the territory, the Marquis of Portroy, was called by that nickname. In some ways, it could be seen as the last stronghold to defend the imperial capital, but geographically it was not a good location for Mercury and the troops stationed there were also average.
Because the military power of the imperial capital itself was already so powerful, there was no reason to rely on the Marquis’ decree.
“… “It’s huge.”
“… I know. “How do you manage all that?”
However, Leon and his party looked down at the panoramic view of the Marquis of Portroy and were amazed at its enormous area.
I was well aware of the vastness of the Clyde Empire, but the scale of the territory stretching out to the horizon, even when looking down from the mountain, was something I had never imagined.
If all that land were agricultural land, wouldn’t the production be enough to support a small or medium-sized kingdom?
“It seems like it would be easier to sneak in because it’s that wide, right?”
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Karen, who was looking around at Portroy, spoke, and Ellahan shook his head as if to refute her words.
He then pointed to a watchtower standing in the distance.
“No, sister. I can feel the power emanating from that watchtower encompassing the entire Marquis. “I’m not sure if it’s for defense or offense, but if you climb over the wall, you’ll be caught right away.”
“what?!”
Karen and Leon also kept an eye on the watchtower, but like Ellahan, they couldn’t see anything worth saying.
Karen, who realized the reason a beat late, said.
“It’s magic!”
It was indeed as he said.
A power that is neither an auror nor a holy law.
If external law was a magic trick that borrowed power from another dimension, magic was a magic trick that studied the natural laws of this world and distorted them. The risk is not high enough to go against nature, but since it does not follow reason, it is not compatible with divine power.
So Leon and Karen, who are Auror users, did not feel much discomfort, but Ellahan could tell right away.
‘No, I too can see the stigmata of the beholder if I am conscious of it.’
Although it is not as clear as the external method, which was annoying to the eyes, the shape and flow are still visible.
Leon blinked his eyes and then looked back at Ellahan.
“It’s a magic that has the entire city as its area of effect. Even if it were a barrier, the area seems too large?”
“This is impossible for a wizard of 6th rank or lower.”
There was only one possibility left.
In the Marquis of Portroy, there exists a master-level wizard and an archmage who has reached the 7th rank or higher.
There was nothing strange about this empire as there were at least 6 people with master-level strength. The only question was why they came all the way to the gateway city, which was not a defense base, and stood guard.
“Isn’t it okay to hide underground?”
“Wouldn’t they be prepared for that level of trickery?”
“Well, it would be even weirder for someone who is an archmage to not even think about that.”
The three entered the strategy meeting like that.
“What about Jeonggongbeop? “They must have received disguised identities, passing through the main gate while posing as mercenaries or adventurers.”
“Even if you have a disguised identity, it’s not omnipotent. “In a place like a gateway city, if you make one mistake, you’ll get caught, but if you get caught, you’ll immediately crash, so the risk is too high.”
“How about sneaking aboard the wagon?”
“I saw earlier that every car was inspected for artifacts.”
Unfortunately, I can’t use a stealth technique that can’t even detect artifacts other than Karen.
I thought about using space transfer using Karen’s shadow to pass through, but I gave up after seeing the waves deteriorate as soon as I deployed ‘Jet Black Dance’ near the barrier.
If he had gone one step further, he would have been caught.
“I can’t help it.”
So Leon decided to let go of his impatience.
“There is one person who needs to join anyway, so it might be a good idea to wait here for a while. “If there is a gap between them, I might be able to get in.”
The two people also nodded without objecting.
There were no physical problems, but the forced march was still tiring.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been camping? It’s good.”
“Okay, it might be okay to take a breather.”
Camping preparations were quickly completed.
Since they did not need a campfire to sleep at night and maintain body temperature, it was enough to just prepare a place to sit and lie down.
It was already too late for them to fall asleep, so the group naturally started chatting. Among them, what became a hot topic was the identity of the cardinal who was scheduled to join.
“Did you say that the Cardinal’s second name was ‘Maeng Jin’? what do you mean?”
Karen asked in an excited voice, and Ellahan answered.
“It means ‘moving forward very vigorously.’ “He is famous within the church as someone who never once backed down from a fight.”
“You didn’t retreat or run away, is this what you mean?”
“well. I also have only met Cardinal Adela on a daily basis… .”
That was all I saw at the annual meeting I attended with the former saint.
What was unique about him was that he had a face that seemed annoyed by everything, and that he was wearing large gauntlets that did not fit his slim body.
and.
“Oh, he’s a gnome.”
The two people’s eyes widened at the unexpected information.
“The gnomes? “A smaller and rarer race than the dwarves?”
“yes.”
Gnome.
Even among sapient races that walk on two feet and talk, they were famous for being small and rare. There was also a theory that the reason the lower spirits of the earth were called ‘gnomes’ was derived from this race.
Although they do not have a strong body or strength like dwarves, they are sensitive to vibration and immediately run away when someone approaches them.
“If it’s as I remember seeing it then… Cardinal Adela is probably less than 1 meter tall. “Her face looked so young that people who didn’t know anything could see her as a child.”
“But doesn’t being a cardinal mean you’re strong?”
“Yes, of course. “He is strong enough to be ranked fourth among the ten cardinals.”
At her words, the two people’s faces became strange once again.
“Cardinal Irexana was the third… “After him?”
“Are the gnomes such a strong race?”
“That person might be particularly special.”
Even though he was someone I had never met, he was extremely interesting.
A being that looks like a child, but has the second-strongest strength after Irexana.
How does one fight with such a small body?
As they talked about Adela for a while, Ellahan suddenly remembered something he had forgotten.
“Oh, come to think of it, I asked you to never say things like ‘small’ or ‘cute’ in front of Cardinal Adela.”
“why?”
“He is quite old, but he is treated like a child all the time, so whenever he hears that, he starts fisting. Before, Cardinal Dominic made fun of him once and the church headquarters almost collapsed… .”
Adela from 〈Maengjin〉.
It was an open secret among the cardinals that the nickname came from ‘low stone maengjin (猪突猛進)’.
