294 – It’s Time to Pay the Price. (2)
Harold couldn’t accept it. This power is forbidden. If used, it would inevitably lead to the loss of reason and life – a last resort.
He had lost everything. That’s why he used this ugly power even at the cost of his own life to try to kill Ghislaine.
But that power didn’t work.
Despite using a power he thought he’d never need, he was still at a disadvantage!
“Uwaaaaaaaah!”
Harold screamed and threw wild punches. However, his attacks were no different from those flailing randomly by a civilian.
Swaack!
Ghislaine severed Harold’s wrist.
“Kuahk!”
This time, it was almost comically easy, and blood gushed out. Harold staggered back, his face twisted in pain.
Seeing this, Ghislaine narrowed her eyes.
‘Certainly a little different.’
Compared to what she had seen in her previous life, the level of the Mana Circulation Method appeared significantly lower.
If he really went berserk, he should be able to move without even feeling pain until his head flew off. He showed no signs of losing his mind like that.
Wasn’t Vanessa only able to come to her senses when her core was shattered, and it was time to die?
But Harold was just a clumsy version of a monster.
Indeed, with a blood-soaked face, Harold shouted incredulously.
“How! How can you withstand this power! The transcendent power given by the Duke Faction!”
“Duke Faction…?”
Only then did Ghislaine understand the situation. That Mana Circulation Method was not one a person possessed individually. It was created by the Duke Faction and distributed to their followers.
Yet they had even taught something like this to a high-ranking noble like Harold. Moreover, it was significantly weaker than what she had seen in her previous life.
‘Is that shabby Mana Circulation Method graded somehow? Or is it still being improved by the Duke Faction?’
In her previous life, she had encountered such beings only after a much longer time. Each person might have learned differently, and it might also have developed over time.
What she had previously taken lightly now felt bothersome because she was pursuing a similar effect to what she had learned.
As much as she wanted to probe into this further, it was unlikely Harold would give her any proper answers.
‘By the way, transcendent power? They were so convinced with just that much?’
The power she saw in her previous life was not so clumsy. Even an ordinary knight could wield master-level strength.
Ghislaine nodded, as if understanding.
“Surely, it’s clear that the Mana Circulation Method is still being improved by the Duke Faction.”
If there had been high-level circulation methods she had seen in her past life, they wouldn’t have given something so inferior to an important figure like Harold.
“…How do you know?”
Harold asked back, clearly shocked. This was a secret only a few people in the Duke Faction would know.
Yet Ghislaine seemed to speak as if she knew the Duke Faction was continuously researching and improving the Mana Circulation Method.
“What… what are you exactly?”
Seeing Harold having a fit, Ghislaine lowered the core’s release stage one step. There was no need to maintain the third stage anymore.
As Harold’s body continued to shrink, it began to age rapidly.
With the Mana Circulation breaking, he could no longer use his strength, and his vitality was rapidly depleting instead.
There’s no way to use power, and life force is rampaging, consuming itself even faster.
Seeing Harold like that, Ghislaine smirked and said,
“Just say you returned from death.”
“What?”
“To get rid of you and the Duke’s faction.”
“Y-You… You dare say that to me!”
Harold could no longer even wield his sword. He was just screaming, shedding tears of blood.
Step, step.
Ghislaine walked slowly towards Harold.
At this rate, Harold would just wither away and die. But…
“That kind of death would be a luxury for you.”
The Duke’s faction was behind the downfall of Perdium, but it was Harold who executed it.
He killed Elena, incited territorial wars, and ultimately trampled Perdium. And in this life, he had been scheming countless plans to eradicate Perdium.
It wouldn’t do to let him die so easily after lurking in the North for so long.
Ghislaine raised Harold’s sword and infused it with mana.
Crackle.
The blade shattered, breaking into several fragments that fell to the floor.
Ghislaine floated them up with strands of mana and smiled.
“Now it’s time to settle the score for what you did. Count Harold Desmond.”
Kablam!
“Gaaaah!”
Harold screamed in agony as shards of the sword pierced his body.
The shards incessantly stimulated his nerves. The pain was so intense that instead of fainting, his mind became even clearer.
“Uaaaah!”
Bathed in blood, Harold fell, only capable of screaming in torment.
After thrashing for a while, Harold finally stopped convulsing, now a complete old man with all his hair and teeth gone.
He strained to mumble with his last bit of strength.
“You… You will pay… Duke’s faction…”
Thus, Harold died with his eyes unable to close properly, mouth agape.
Ghislaine looked at him for a moment before murmuring in a dry voice.
“What a pathetic death fitting for you.”
News of Harold’s death quickly spread to Desmond’s army.
With the center already crumbling and surrounded by the Perdium army and Kingdom army, upon hearing the news, they hurriedly tossed down their weapons and surrendered or fled.
Gordon, the senior knight of Penris, was the first to rush to Ghislaine. Despite blood streaming from his mouth, he shouted joyfully.
“We won, My Lord! We’ve won! It’s a great victory! We defeated Desmond’s army, the strongest in the North!”
“Waaaah!”
Cheers erupted from all around. They achieved a historic victory against an army of thirty thousand.
Amid this jubilant atmosphere, Ghislaine spoke to Gordon with a stern expression.
“Right now, all able-bodied men follow me on horseback.”
“Huh? Why suddenly? Shouldn’t we clean the battlefield, gather spoils, and take a rest?”
“I’ll leave the battlefield cleanup to my father and the Kingdom army. Pass on that we’ll give thanks later. Hurry up. We need to occupy Desmond’s castle and key fortresses right away.”
“Desmond’s?”
Gordon had a puzzled expression. The main force of Desmond was already decimated. That place was completely empty, with no one to guard it.
They could just walk in and take over. Who would dare to stop them?
Are you saying you’re being interrupted?
Even if someone wants to occupy an empty house, the war just ended. It takes time to understand the results and act.
Even if one intends to lead an army immediately, it simply takes time to prepare.
And we have a justified reason on our side. Who’s crazy enough in the North to fight against an army that includes the Kingdom Army?
“Why are you leaving so soon? That place is already ours. There’s no one who can touch it, and no one worth touching it either.”
Gordon brought up what he thought was pure common sense. But Ghislaine shook his head.
Others might not know, but there is indeed someone in the North who fits the bill.
An army is already prepared and has the ability to move faster than anyone else, and he isn’t afraid of the Kingdom Army.
Surely someone is being sent to keep a continuous eye on this situation. And as soon as the results come in, they’ll act immediately.
Now it was a race to see who could grab Desmond first.
“I’ll explain later. Move quickly.”
Ghislaine immediately jumped onto the Black King. Everyone was too fatigued from battle to pick up speed. They needed to move as fast as possible.
Before they could even enjoy the joy of victory, Ghislaine and the Penris Army busily moved toward Desmond.
*
“P-please spare me!”
“We made a mistake!”
“I will give you sufficient compensation!”
The blood-soaked lords were kneeling, tied up. Their mouths poured out pleas for their lives incessantly.
The target of the lords’ begging was none other than Amelia, whom they had attacked.
The northern lords had formed a coalition army and boldly charged at Amelia, only to be crushed instantly and turned into prisoners.
Listening to the lords’ pleas, Amelia said in a languid voice.
“You combined forces to strike at my back and now ask for mercy?”
The captured lords turned pale and shouted.
“We didn’t surrender! According to tradition, please spare our lives!”
“I will never oppose you again!”
“I will give you half of my territory’s wealth! As my ransom!”
It was a desperate plea. But Amelia didn’t flinch, responding coolly.
“I won’t let those who came at me go free. Handle it.”
Meow.
Against the backdrop of Bastet’s cry, the knights standing around began to drag the lords away.
“P-please! Spare us!”
“We didn’t surrender, did we?”
“You wretched villainess! I swear I won’t let you go even in death!”
The lords were dragged away, spewing pleas, curses, and oaths. Amelia, who watched them with little reaction, frowned slightly at the castle in the distance.
“Baron Valua… still cowering inside the castle.”
Even after luring the coalition to meet them, Baron Valua did not come out.
Despite creating a sufficiently advantageous situation, he did not cross over.
What Amelia didn’t know was that the Baron had actually intended to go out when the coalition army arrived. He thought there was a good chance if he teamed up with them.
But the advice—or perhaps warning—Ghislaine gave kept echoing in his mind.
[No matter what happens, never go outside the castle to fight. Even if it seems like an opportunity has arisen, it is not a true opportunity.]
“Don’t fight. Even if it seems like an opportunity has come, it isn’t one.”
Certainly, an opportunity has arrived. Yet, the content of the letter, which seemed to imply that such a situation was anticipated, weighed heavily on my mind.
What deepened his concern was none other than Davin.
“Let’s hurry out! Let’s go out and completely smash that girl! The northern lords have arrived, so we can win!”
Raybold’s fourth son, Davin, is utterly useless except for his indulgences.
With someone like that urging to go out, my trust dimmed even further.
In the midst of this agonizing thought, I ultimately missed the timing to act.
Baron Valua, lamenting, was about to witness a shocking spectacle.
Five thousand of the Northern Alliance forces were annihilated by Raybold’s army without putting up much of a fight.
Seeing that scene, Baron Valua felt his stomach drop. Even if he had gone out, the result would hardly have been different.
‘As expected… It was a deliberate passive siege. Were they waiting for such a situation?’
Baron Valua’s worries deepened. He could hold out longer, but the outcome was already predetermined.
‘Amelia… What a terrifying woman. Her success in the rebellion wasn’t just luck. What a pity. If she had been born a man, she would have made a far superior heir than anyone else.’
Reaching that thought, the Davin he was protecting looked increasingly pitiful.
After the Northern Alliance was decimated, Davin became lost in thought, holed up in his room every day, terrified of being killed by Amelia.
But what could he do? He had sworn allegiance to Count Raybold and owed him a debt of gratitude. No matter how he felt about it, he had to protect Davin and fight against the usurper, Amelia.
In those days of lying low like a trapped rat, something unbelievable happened.
Raybold’s army suddenly began to dismantle their camp and prepare to retreat.
‘What… Why are they withdrawing?’
Baron Valua was unaware that what saved them was the news of Ghislaine’s and Harold’s war.
The messenger, observing the situation in Penris Territory, rushed back as soon as Penris’s victory became certain. That was Amelia’s order.
“I couldn’t confirm Count Desmond’s life or death, but the Penris army has completely seized the opportunity. The main force of Desmond’s army has been annihilated, and the remaining troops are besieged by the Perdium army and the third legion. There seemed to be no way for Desmond to win.”
Amelia’s eyes sparkled as she twisted her smile.
“Ghislaine… I never thought he would be this capable. Even with the support of the Kingdom army, defeating Harold’s thirty thousand troops is impressive.”
Although I thought there was no way he would win, Ghislaine truly was someone formidable. No, I had no choice but to acknowledge that he was now truly exceptional.
Having crushed Harold, the title of the strongest in the North would belong to Ghislaine.
If he were to completely take over Desmond’s territory, that is.
However, Amelia had no intention of letting Ghislaine easily seize that place.
With a cool gaze, she ordered Bernap.
“Prepare for an immediate retreat. We will conquer Desmond first.”
As Ghislaine watched Harold, who was dying, Amelia’s Raybold army began to march towards Desmond.
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