Dark Fantasy: Magical Eye Knight – Chapter 182

Chapter 182: Crossroads (4)

 

War not only costs money, but it also generates a large amount of revenue.

 

On the Ferger Plains, where Prince Aldrick’s army had largely retreated, allowing the princess to expand her territory, she gathered various spoils of war, equipment, and provisions that had yet to be recovered.

 

“Dig deeper! Make the width wider!”

 

Soldiers excavated a pit in the plains, led by their sergeants and captains. It was intended to serve as a burial location for the deceased.

 

The sun had risen at midday and was about to set, and despite the fact that the combat had only recently concluded, there was still a lot of work to be done.

 

After excavating the hole, they had to gather the dead and push them in, followed by feeding the soldiers.

 

Julia has prioritized supplies since she began personally managing the soldiers. She feared that without timely supplies, they would be unable to adequately fight in even minor skirmishes, let alone a war.

 

Not only did they need to repair broken swords, spears, armor, and helmets, but food was also essential. The soldiers were surprised to learn that they would be fed twice a day, with meat included in both meals.

 

Those who had spent their entire lives as serfs or slaves, never having tasted meat, were able to eat their fill after entering the fight.

 

“Your Highness, it’s Ferzen. May I enter?”

 

“Enter.”

 

A knight with a helmet tucked under his armpit entered Julia’s large tent. The knight greeted the princess and reported.

 

“The troop redeployment is complete. The pit is still being dug. The casualties are. . . . . .”

 

Julia listened to the knight’s report while reflecting on something else.

 

Aldrick had lost at least 20,000 soldiers during this setback. His remnant force numbered between 30,000 and 40,000.

 

Meanwhile, her army numbered slightly more than 20,000. The majority of them were conscripted peasants who hardly understood how to use a spear, but she had patched them up with lengthy training and nutritious meals.

 

It was a temporary fix. The thread would ultimately snap, and the enemy would not waste the opportunity.

 

The optimal strategy would be to advance the troops quickly and gradually press the prince’s withdrawing army.

 

However, they couldn’t extend their supply lines that far, and they’d be too far away from reinforcements.

 

There was a city nearby named Brasilt. It was the capital of the lordship held by Count Jayvir, Prince Aldrick’s most generous sponsor.

 

If they rode the fastest horses, it would take them a day or two to get to the city. If they could expand their area and take over the city, they could make life difficult for Aldrick and Count Jayvir.

 

‘But there was no justification. No justification. . . . . . .’

 

“Your Highness? Your Highness!”

 

Julia realized she’d dozed off. The knight, who had been unwilling to disturb her, raised his voice. Julia, awakened by the knight’s speech, strained to lift her heavy eyelids.

 

“I understand. You may go and rest.”

 

Julia sank back into her chair as the saluting knight turned to go. As a superhuman capable of manipulating mana and strengthening her physical body, she experienced no physical fatigue.

 

This, so to speak, was mental exhaustion. Julia came to the palace to find her father had died, she was in the hazardous situation of being the throne’s successor, and there were fierce disagreements among the nobles who had been quietly watching and communicating their plans for a long time.

 

A year of political conflict and warfare. And what was constantly missing was people.

 

‘Russel.’

 

Julia slowly mumbled the name of a man who had long been in her thoughts and memories but had the broadest back of anyone she had ever known.

 

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

 

Russell’s eyes narrowed. Red eyes were uncommon, whether on Earth in his past life or here. And he’d already met someone with those crimson eyes.

 

The hooded dark elf who had established eye contact with Russell looked at him for a time before winking one eye.

 

At that point, the slave dealer who had been leading the dark elf said something and yanked hard on the rope. His huge hat and clothing, consisting of dozens of layers of material, were stunning.

 

His sharp and dark features, skin color, and bushy beard suggested that he had come from the desert. The dark elf, who had winked at Russell after being pulled, turned his head back forward and continued walking.

 

The march of the slaves received a lot of attention.

 

Not only were their garments tattered, but they also showed more of their skin.

 

The male-female ratio was around 3 to 7, with women outnumbering men, and they all had decent looks and figures on average.

 

Taking advantage of this, several individuals secretly stroked slaves’ faces, arms, breasts, and buttocks. The troops guarding the procession were aware of the situation and either turned a blind eye or physically touched them.

 

The fact that they were purposely crossing the packed market square demonstrated the slave trader’s salesmanship. The number of people entering the part where slaves were traded was steadily increasing.

 

“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you coming?”

 

Weizen, who had been strolling ahead, came to a halt and turned around to face Russell. Then he noticed what Russell was staring at. Weizen also noticed Russell looking at the procession of slaves and stated,.

 

“What are you looking at? Slaves?”

 

“The market seems to be quite lively.”

 

“It is. It’s convenient in many ways, isn’t it?”

 

“. . . . . . .”

 

That category of ‘convenient’ would include a variety of concepts.

 

“Why? Are you planning to buy one?”

 

“No. Let’s keep going.

 

When Russell lightly prodded Weizen’s shoulder, he grimaced and returned to the direction they had been traveling.

 

Russell wasn’t sure whether the person with the red eyes was the same person he’d met before; her appearance was changed, and she had less mana than he remembered.

 

It was possible that their eyes had just happened to meet, but the wink. . .

 

“It didn’t seem like a request for help.”

 

“What?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

As they rounded the corner and continued walking, the crowd on the street thinned out, and the commotion packed with unintelligible foreign languages subsided.

 

The once-clean boulevard got increasingly dirty, and the buildings appeared dilapidated and decrepit, as if they had not been maintained.

 

They eventually arrived at a steamy back alley, which was filled with a pungent scent, low-lying white smoke on the ground, and damp moisture.

 

Russell knew the pungent smell as soon as it entered his nostrils, traveled to his lungs, and reached his brain: it was a narcotic.

 

The smell of drugs wafted out from the cracks in the windows and doors of the old, firmly packed wooden buildings; the smoke was so dense that Russell’s eyesight blurred slightly, and he felt like he was ready to get high.

 

Weizen spoke first, despite the fact that Russell had not asked.

 

“Block the fragrance with your mana. Everyone on this street is a drug addict.”

 

Do you know any of them?”

 

“I have just glimpsed their faces here and there. I do not associate with them.”

 

As they neared the end of the crumbling street, a three-story structure stood out from the surrounding one-story buildings.

 

In front of it, two bored-looking guards stood armed, watching the door. One was resting against the wall, and the other was sitting down, sucking on a cigarette. Russell could also detect a small hint of drugs in the cigarette smoke.

 

Weizen and Russell approached the three-story building’s door, and the two guards stood up straight and at attention.

 

Russell had observed that the guards had been watching them since they had entered the alley, and the one leaning against the wall slid his left hand over the hilt of the sword on his waist and said.

 

“What is your business here?”

 

Weizen stepped forward.

 

“Is Ketelz inside?”

 

“Are you here to buy drugs?”

 

“Tell me whether he’s here or not, you little punk. Will you understand if I tell you?”

 

“. . .This little shit. Who do you think you are? Huh!”

 

The one who had been kneeling down rose to his feet with an angry expression and immediately reached behind his back, while the guard who had come forward raised his arm as if to draw the sword from his back.

 

“If you’re not here to buy drugs?”

 

Weizen’s brows arched at his calm demeanor; he was more used to provoking people than he had realized.

 

Russell spoke out, seeing that Weizen’s attempt to barge in with force had failed.

 

“It’s about the northern territories, he’ll know.”

 

Only then did the guards’ attention go to Russell; Weizen was not little, but Russell standing behind him was a genuinely unusual sight.

 

Russell was taller than a sailor on a ship, and his big muscles were visible even through his finely fitted coat. Despite the fact that he was unarmed, the tension around him remained high.

 

“. . . . .Wait a moment.”

 

One of them opened the door and went inside, leaving the angry guard outside. Russell carefully inspected the place.

 

The building was enclosed by a transparent force field that possessed powerful anti-mana qualities, making it resistant to physical strikes, projectiles, and magic.

 

While Weizen and the remaining guard exchanged looks, a few minutes later, the man who had gone inside opened the door and nodded to the inside.

 

“Come in.”

 

Russell quietly entered the door that the man had opened for him.

 

The interior was dark, and the lamps, which rested on pedestals jutting from the walls at regular intervals, emitted only a feeble light.

 

Despite the building’s size, there appeared to be approximately twenty individuals inside.

 

The majority of them were men, but there were a few women, and they were all equipped with basic armor or swords.

 

Russell understood from this sight that the city was not being administered properly by a competent police force.

 

Officials demanding bribes at city gates, gangsters distributing drugs in back streets, and fully armed thugs running an office.

 

Russell had no idea what type of managerial sense Count Jayvir had in running the city, but it was evident that he had little concern for the stability of the people’s lives.

 

“Go up.”

 

The guard who had escorted them up the steps went first, and Russell and Weizen ascended, drawing numerous stares from the swordsmen who crowded the first floor.

 

Russell said it quietly.

 

━Was it like this when you last visited?

 

Weizen shuddered as Russell’s words creeped into his ears.

 

━Don’t speak, just move your lips. I can understand you.

 

He didn’t understand how they could hear what he was saying without looking over their heads, but Weizen was convinced.

 

He had discovered that this man could not be judged by common sense.

 

‘. . . . . I only received the side with the map, which had the words ‘Find a man named Ketelzs’ written on it, and this is my first time coming here in person.’

 

One of them used magic to transmit his voice to Weizen, who was walking behind, and the other answered Russell with only lip movements while walking forward. But the guard leading the way had no idea what was going on and simply continued walking up the stairs.

 

Russell, who had used his extraordinary spatial awareness to comprehend Weizen’s moving lips, posed another question.

 

━So, where did you meet him for the first time?

 

‘It was where the guy who sent me contacted me; it wasn’t here, but in a rundown house on the outskirts.

 

━Escort?

 

‘There were three; none of them were among the folks on the first floor right now.’

 

Weizen had also scanned the swordsmen within that brief period.

 

━Were they all awakened?

 

“From what I saw, yes. It might have been different if they had been carrying any relics or artifacts, but if they were smart enough to notice that, they wouldn’t be doing this.’

 

━Hmm.

 

Weizen knew Russell’s final words were deliberate.

 

Weizen whispered to himself, ‘I don’t feel good about this.

 

The Q&A session naturally came to an end when the stairs led to the third floor and the guard pointed to a door.

 

“He’s waiting inside.”

 

The room, which seemed to occupy the entire third floor, was sparsely equipped, with only a table and chairs in the innermost section of the space. There were no low tables or seats for entertaining visitors.

 

A middle-aged man sat in a chair in the center of the room and spoke.

 

“I am Ketelzs. Which of you is it? The mercenary who accepted the request.”

 

Weizen stepped forward.

 

“I am. I am coming to collect the payment.”

 

Ketelzs tilted his head as he glanced at Weizen and Russell separately.

 

“Who is this?”

 

“It is none of your business. Please give me the money.”

 

“Have you succeeded?”

 

“If I succeed, I’m here to receive the money, right?”

 

“So what about that dark elf? Where is the little brat?”

 

Ketelzs had a muscular frame, a copper-colored complexion, and was bald. It appeared like he had no body hair at all, not even brows.

 

Because he was getting sunlight from the window behind him, the man’s face appeared even more ugly due to the interplay of shadows and his lack of brows.

 

Weizen shrugged his shoulders and responded to Ketelzs’ question.

 

“Oh, he’s dead.”

 

“Dead?”

 

“Have you underestimated Zahard territory too much? In the addition, territory’s Lord is powerful. He put up a good fight, but in the end, he was surrounded by knights and killed. In the end, he turned into some kind of monster with that strange censer, ran amok. That was weird.”

 

“. . . . . . .”

 

Ketelzs showed no astonishment, as if he were familiar with the incense burner known as the Breath of Nemesto.

 

“And then?”

 

“And then? He’s dead, I said. Six knights attacked him, and even an ogre would have died. I couldn’t retrieve the body or the incense burner. But we did make a mess, didn’t we? Isn’t that what the client wanted?”

 

“That’s about right.”

 

Ketelzs laughed. It was a piercing and violent chuckle that didn’t fit his bald face.

 

“Then there’s only one thing left for you to do.”

 

Swiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

 

Immediately after, something long and sharp flew towards Russell’s back.

 

Clatter!

 

The floor of the third story, where Weizen was standing, collapsed, revealing dozens of swords, chains, and maces.

 

“Agh!”

 

As Weizen shouted and fell to the second story, Russell’s head twisted. The guard, who had initially guided him, stood there, confused. Russell held his sword with his outstretched right hand.

 

“Shutting me up?!”

 

“Exactly!”

 

Ketelzs, who spat out his final words with passion, fired something. Russell, who had escaped with a nod of his head, swiftly examined what had been fired. It was a short dagger.

 

With a bang, Russell kicked the guard aside after breaking the sword with his right hand. The guard, who had instinctively attempted to block the kick with his left arm, underestimated Russell’s strength.

 

With his fractured arm and ribs puncturing his internal organs, the guard fell back, coughing up blood and colliding with the other wall. Russell, who had given the kick, shifted his body in response to the moist and sharp killing purpose that came at him from behind.

 

Papapapapak!

 

In that little instant, dozens of daggers fell on him, and Russell’s hands moved in a blur in reaction.

 

His fingers were tightly gripping the daggers. Ketelzs’ eyes fluttered briefly when they saw Russell nonchalantly throw the daggers to the ground, but they quickly recovered.

 

“Stop your futile resistance. I’ll let you die easily if you just give me the answers I want.”

 

“That’s a cheap line.”

 

When Russell grinned and stated so, Ketelzs saw an opportunity and shot a beam of light at Russell’s chest.

 

Fwoosh!

 

The concentrated air shrieked as the long blade sliced and chopped through it.

 

The clean and accurate hit was directed for Russell’s heart, with no superfluous embellishments. Was this the full limit of Ketelzs’ abilities, as he was not weak in swordsmanship?

 

Ketelzs was confident in his attack and anticipated that Russell would die from it.

 

Wham━

 

Mana surged up and crashed into Ketelzs’ wrist and shoulder, causing distinct impacts and stresses. As a result, the swinging blade bent and sliced the adjacent wooden wall rather than Russell’s chest.

 

Russell, who had successfully controlled the mana that had entered his field of cognition, extended his fist.

 

Bam!

 

Ketelzs, who had been hit squarely in the face, flew across the room, coughing up blood and colliding with the window.

 

Bang!

 

The window glass did not break but rather created a substantial sound as if it had struck a wall. Russell noted that the outside of the undamaged glass pane was curiously deformed.

 

“It was a trap from the beginning.”

 

“Heh, it’s too late to notice now. Kukuk! Huff.”

 

Ketelzs brushed away the blood that had run back into his mouth and smiled slightly, displaying his bloodied gums. He held a little stone in his hand, which radiated a regular light.

 

It appeared to be a runestone that, when struck, activated the ritual within, manifesting magic.

 

Russell, who had been looking at him blankly, grinned and spoke.

 

“Yeah, take out what you’ve prepared. It would be a shame if you died without using it all up.”

 

“Let’s see how long you can keep that attitude up!”

 

He shattered the runestone with a crackling sound, causing Russell to be blinded by a flash of light. Russell, who was walking directly towards the flash of light, began to shine in his eyes.

 

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