Kays Translations

Chapter 124: The Four King Candidates

“Damn it!”

“Your Highness Kaiseon, please step back!”

The plains had turned into a battlefield.

It was a territory at the far eastern end of the north, near the border between the east and the empire, governed by a certain candidate for king.

Amidst the onslaught of beast soldiers like goblins and trolls, the soldiers from the east and north found themselves at a disadvantage.

All around, the soldiers were exhausted, many injured.

In the center of the soldiers stood a beastman.

He was Kaiseon, son of Lord Lilinz, and one of the candidates for king.

Kaiseon resembled a beast with long black fur, bearing a single long horn and a spear, in the form of a white spirit named Kaichi.

Surrounding him were the frontier counts and their units who had been fighting on the eastern front.

Considering the terrain and remaining forces, the frontier counts had decided to retreat from the front lines and consolidate their forces on the plains at the far eastern end of the north, where they could meet up with the son of the overlord.

Nevertheless, the situation was not favorable.

“I’ll go out. The rest of you fall back. Request reinforcements from my mother and retreat with the troops to Raven Fortress.” 

Kaiseon, in his black beast form, raised his spear.

The border count, also a foster child of Lord Lilinz, objected.

“Your Highness Kaiseon, please come with us!”

“If I retreat, the soldiers’ morale will collapse. If that happens, it’ll be the end not just for here, but for the entire kingdom.”

“For some reason, the empire is not concentrating its forces but dispersing them. It’s like they fear the emergence of some wild snake. Losing this place won’t affect the big picture.”

Naturally, this caution stemmed from vigilance towards Lucius.

The empire, uncertain of Lucius’s intentions, had no choice but to divide its offensive.

If an unknown force capable of annihilating fleets were dropped where forces were concentrated, defeat would be inevitable.

Therefore, the empire had dispersed its forces into several groups, following the strategies of Lucius and Mark.

Understanding the overall strategic landscape was different from tactical execution on the ground. At present, Samael alone had enough power to serve as a strategic weapon. To maximize this, Lucius deliberately refrained from entering the front lines.

And yet, the border count, for reasons unknown, had accurately grasped the current situation before being interrupted by rhythmic thunder echoing across the plains.

It was footsteps.

From beyond the plains, beyond the goblin’s mat, a giant was coming.

A beast soldier, covered in fur, roughly ten times the height of a person.

“King Troll… Did they really create something like that?”

One of the terrified soldiers fled.

One fled, two followed, and four more followed.

Soon, fleeing soldiers were rampant, and the front line collapsed immediately.

“There’s no other way. We’ll withdraw temporarily. I’ll have the beast cavalry units transport them–“

When Kaiseon decided to retreat, light covered the surrounding area.

“What’s that? A flash of skill?”

Next came the self-destructive sound of beast soldiers.

The sound of detonation echoed in a chain, as if self-destructing.

Dust was stirred up, taking away all visibility.

This made the soldiers afraid.

“Don’t flee randomly! Calm down!”

The dust raised by the plain wind passed through.

There.

A girl straddling a griffin.

Underneath that girl were the kingdom’s army.

Kaiseon knows that girl.

“Olivia… why are you here?”

Charged with magic power, countless beams of light radiate from the griffin’s wings.

The light drew an arc, intertwined in the sky, forming a sphere of light.

Olivia raised her left hand and fired a flash, piercing the sphere.

Immediately, a rain of fine light beams poured from the collapsed sphere onto the battlefield.

It pierced the beast soldiers and caused widespread self-destruction.

“Is this an application of the power of chikan shin?”

By repelling and fragmenting each individual beam of light, its power was weakened in exchange for increasing their numbers.

It was a specialized method of fighting against beast soldiers, who were walking bombs.

About one-fifth of the beast soldiers disappeared.

“Exterminate them.”

In response to Olivia’s command, the soldiers of the kingdom below immediately moved.

First to rush out were mounted beasts carrying people.

Mounted beasts carrying several people dashed through the sky and on the ground.

Knights clad in white spirits leaped from the backs of mounted beasts that swiftly infiltrated deep into enemy lines, launching successive attacks on nearby beast soldiers.

From atop the mounted beasts, enchantment spells of buff and debuff rained down, supported by artillery mages.

If surrounded, mounted beasts swiftly retrieved them and redeployed to vulnerable positions.

Injured or depleted in magical power, soldiers were exchanged one after another with waiting rear members of the mounted beasts, ensuring no interruption in the front line’s offensive power.

The numbers of beast soldiers dwindled rapidly.

“What the hell is going on? We couldn’t win at all just a moment ago.”

“The Forman cell formation devised by Lucius. It’s incredibly effective when put into practice.”

Strictly speaking, Lucius did not devise the Forman cell formation; it was known to some humans as a stable formation among knights.

However, because knights from the west and south had not been sent until now, it had not been possible to organize them into a unit.

Lucius specifically detailed its operational method.

Moreover, under Lucius’s strong directive overseeing the entire capital, knights were dispatched evenly for distribution.

“Olivia, you…”

Olivia, who had come close, looked down at Kaiseon and the border count from atop the griffin.

“What about the east? You didn’t leave them behind and come to the north, your hometown, did you!?”

The black-horned cow glared at Olivia.

“Of course not. I only came to reinforce after defeating all the enemies around the eastern region.”

Those words pierced Kaiseon’s chest just as he was about to order a retreat.

“Damn it! So you came to mock me!”

The border count and the surrounding knights also gritted their teeth in frustration.

“That’s not it.”

Olivia brushed up her sky-blue hair.

“I came to help our fellow countrymen. I brought knights from the south and west, so I reorganized the forces of the east and north.”

“You came to help?”

Kaiseon and the border count were at a loss for words.

Candidates for king compete against each other for achievements. While there might be ridicule and mockery, they didn’t expect to receive help like this.

“Lady Olivia, we should go soon.”

Division Commander Karan and Brigade Commander Shaolia appeared, pushing their way through the ranks.

He is also the contractor for the bird-like gun monster Jiz, who previously fought Lucius in a mock battle.

“Yes, let’s take down that big one ourselves.”

The griffin landed on the ground, carrying Commander Karan and Jiz’s contractor behind, while Shaolia grabbed onto its forearm and soared up.

Their destination was the King Troll.

As they approached, the enchantment spirit Savitri of Commander Karan sharpened everyone’s senses, while at the same time dulling the King Troll’s senses.

The King Troll swung down a club hewn from a large tree, but the griffin would not be hit by such a crude attack.

At the moment it swung, beams of light from the griffin and cloud gun monster Jiz were released.

Pierced all over and knocked down by the blast of clouds, the King Troll fell. Flames erupted from its back, crushing about ten beast soldiers beneath.

However, it wasn’t a fatal blow.

Known for its incredible vitality, enhanced further by Empire technology, the King Troll would not be fatally wounded by ordinary attacks.

As it tried to rise, something descended upon the King Troll’s head.

It was Brigade Leader Shaolia, transformed into a dragon woman.

The spear in her hand accurately gouged out the giant eyeball.

The raging King Troll trampled the surrounding beast soldiers.

Shaolia moved like a serpent, dodging the giant stomps while inflicting precise wounds.

Bleeding and wounded, the King Troll gradually slowed down.

“Jiz, now!”

At Olivia’s command, Jiz was unleashed again.

It hit squarely on the face, causing the massive body of the King Troll to stagger.

“Gluon, synchronize.”

Olivia raised her hand, and beams of light were emitted.

They shone brightly.

In response, the griffin released countless beams of light from its feathers.

Then, the beams of light released by Olivia and the griffin converged.

They merged into one.

Like a dragon’s breath, the gathered light turned into a torrent of immense flow, engulfing the King Troll’s head.

The Noh of oneness. They attracted and merged the arrows of light into one.

After illuminating the battlefield with light enough to vanish shadows, a thunderous noise echoed as the giant collapsed.

Its head had been blown off.

Like a Valkyrie descending onto the battlefield, Olivia’s light released illuminated the morale of the crumbling soldiers more than enough.

Kaiseon and the border count watched the entire sequence.

“… I’m impressed.”

“… Indeed.”

At the same time…

In a dim underground dungeon.

It was the underground of the Knights’ headquarters, filled with the smell of damp floors and mold.

At its deepest part were two prisoners.

Two individuals connected to the Four Great Nobles.

Dion, the candidate from the West, was sitting directly on the floor, leaning his body against the wall.

On the other hand, Lucial, with her face burnt, was suspended.

At first glance, these two didn’t seem like they were born into nobility, but such situations had repeated many times before. Status wasn’t something that emerged from within the individual but took shape only when recognized by their surroundings.

When abandoned by those around them and falling from grace, people’s resentment often surfaced.

“Hey, Dion-kun.”

Lucial spoke to Dion, who was in the opposite cell.

“… What is it?”

“Why couldn’t we trust Lucius-kun? Why?”

“Heh.”

“What’s with that attitude in a cell?”

“You trusted him, didn’t you? That’s why you got caught. Despite having the chance to escape, you bet on him to repel the Empire.”

The white eyes floating on her charred and blistered face glared at Dion.

“… Why do you think that?”

“It’s simple. If I didn’t trust Lucius, I would have been in the South. To prepare for the Empire’s attack. But I didn’t. Even a fool could see that being in a place where my, no, my mother’s faction could be wiped out. Well, now it doesn’t matter.”

The “way to die” when betrayed by the South.

Will Lucius be defeated and used to stall the Empire’s Army’s advance on the South?

Or will Lucius win and take down the political enemies who betrayed the South?

If the South had not been betrayed, Lucial would have been executed, and that would have been the end of it. Lucial had disregarded the option of surviving from the beginning, betting everything on being betrayed.

Upon meeting Lucius and seeing the latter possibility, Lucial changed the initial plan of hiding in the South and deliberately got caught.

There’s only one body and life.

It’s just a matter of betting on the option with higher certainty.

“… That’s true. But, Lucius-kun did quite well. He wiped out the arrogant nobles from the West before I even had a chance to intervene. There’s just one left.”

Dion glanced sideways at Lucial.

Their cold gazes intertwined.

“Do as you please. There are no regrets left in this world—”

Just as Lucial’s magic power began to be released outward—

Suddenly, in the corridor separating the two, appeared a girl in a jet-black dress.

Lucial and Dion’s gazes were fixed on the girl.

She seemed utterly out of place in the prison cell.

She appeared suddenly.

They hadn’t even sensed her entrance.

“…Who are you?”

“I am… Sol. People can… change…”

“Change? What do you mean?”

“The same… choice as my master. If you do that… you can get out.”

The girl’s hair suddenly extended rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, it crossed the cage and entangled both of them.

Lucial was taken aback by the sudden turn of events and then screamed out.

It seemed she was undergoing some form of spiritual baptism.

Meanwhile, Dion…

“Mother… Mother! Mother!!”

He cried with tears streaming down his face, his consciousness focused solely on his mother, who lived only in his spiritual world, despite being tormented countless times by goblins.

Dion rejoiced while Lucial screamed in agony.

“Humans are… interesting…”

Sol’s gaze was fixed on Dion.

For the first time in her life, like a child gazing at an ant she had just caught, Sol’s eyes sparkled.

“Yes… You will… remain until the death of your physical body…”

It was an endless hell without salvation.

At the same time, Sol continued to observe it.

It was a supreme curse, the Eternal Falsehood Realm. It was a spell given by Samael to the puppet Sol.

This spell had significant constraints.

Namely, it required sharing consciousness with the cursed individual indefinitely.

If Lucius were to use it, he would have to witness the person being killed endlessly.

Likewise, if someone were to be kept in the illusion world, they would have to spend the same amount of time. It could be several years or even decades.

If used by a human, the mind of the practitioner would wear thin in less than ten people.

Therefore, Samael did not pass this curse spell on to Lucius.

However, for monsters like Samael or puppets like Sol, it could not be a constraint because they had different mental structures than humans.

It was also a contradictory spell used to create a legitimate person out of an entity that was not human.

“You are also… interesting… Perhaps…”

After observing Lucial scream for a little while, Sol disappeared from the prison without a sound.

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