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𝐈𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 (𝟏𝟐)
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‘𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘰𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴!’
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Caught off guard by an unexpected attack, the captain of the guards was so astonished that he only stared at the mercenaries pouring in from the side. Suetlg, unbelievably vigorous for an old man, shouted in a booming voice.
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“Forward, Crimson Iron Mercenary Company! Advance, St. Galanto Holy Knights’ Order! It’s time to fulfill our contract with the city!”
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Any other mercenaries would have hesitated or even fled in the face of hundreds of elite attackers. But not these.
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The Crimson Iron Mercenary Company, renowned for its loyal dwarf mercenaries, and the St. Galanto Holy Knights’ Order, paladins who’d rather die than break their vows, did not hesitate.
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Those in reserve quickly moved to flank without a moment’s hesitation.
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“Fire!”
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At Captain Kumal’s command, the dwarves unleashed their loaded crossbows on the approaching mercenaries.
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𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐝-𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐝-𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐝!
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With heavy thuds, mercenaries fell, groaning. Some even tumbled over their shields.
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The dwarves’ crossbows were far more powerful than the lighter ones carried by the mercenaries. Though harder to reload, the dwarves had no intention of doing so.
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“Form a shield wall! Hold formation! Do not retreat in the name of Red Iron! Our ancestors watch over us!”
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“Praise be to my Rock, my fortress, my stronghold. . .”
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The St. Galanto Holy Knights, murmuring scripture, drank from leather pouches. Their eyes flashed wildly, entering a frenzied state.
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Suetlg recoiled at the sight. Aware of the paladins’ ferocity, it was still unsettling to witness.
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“In the name of St. Galanto, charge!”
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The holy water crafted through the St. Galanto Holy Knights’ Order’s mystical vision compelled them to fight relentlessly until death.
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In this dire situation, Suetlg had no choice but to rely on these zealots. He took out a vial and began chanting.
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“O River Ipaël, I, a mere mortal who knows your secrets, beseech you. . .”
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Then, a thick mist began to rise from behind, obscuring everything. The dwarves and paladins were now hidden.
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“Wizard-nim! You are amazing!”
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The captain of the guard expressed admiration. Such a response to a sudden attack was impressive.
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The enemies who attempted the surprise attack were fiercely counterattacked by the reserve forces, and the situation became even more confusing for them as the fog rolled in from behind. No matter how elite, there was no one who wouldn’t be flustered in such a situation.
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Doubts about whether they had fallen into a trap!
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This doubt slowed their steps.
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“Your Excellency Baron, They are stronger than we thought! This isn’t what you said?!”
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“Reinforcements will be arriving soon. Didn’t I say I brought a troll!”
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Baron Eiven cursed the scribe. They needed to quickly drive the troll to the opposite flank of the enemy, but what were they doing? It was certain that someone was slacking off somewhere.
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The battles in this world were extremely uncertain and chaotic. Most things did not go according to plan, and it was almost impossible to communicate if one was just a little apart from others.
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Still, things almost went as expected. The punitive force that underestimated the rogue gangs went deep in, and now if they are defeated just once, they will collapse on their own.
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“Don’t think of retreating, push forward. I will not forgive any tricks! If you back down here, you all will be hanged at the gallows.”
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Upon hearing the Baron’s words, the mercenary captain nodded. He too had spoken not with the intention of retreating, but to urge the Baron.
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A mercenary caught doing rogue activities receives no mercy. They were either sold as slaves or hanged.
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To return with gold in hand, victory was necessary, even if the opponent was a frenzied paladin or a dwarf.
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The mercenary captain tightened his helmet strap and shouted.
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“Attack! Reinforcements will come soon. They are exhausted! They will collapse now!!”
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🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸
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“So, the Emperor set this up because he was displeased with Marcel city that regularly pays gold to his opposition? Such petty actions.”
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Since he couldn’t take the nobles for a proper trial, he either fabricated evidence for assassination, or resorted to such underhanded tactics instead of openly attacking the city with soldiers.
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All this was due to his lack of power. Had the Emperor’s power been strong, he wouldn’t have resorted to such actions.
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The Emperor, who ascended to the throne by the votes of the lords, had no power outside his own fiefdom but constantly coveted more.
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It was natural for the nobles managing their own fiefdoms to resist.
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“The nobles are now uprising against the Emperor’s tyranny. That b*stard Emperor doesn’t deserve the crown!”
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“Y-Yes, you are right.”
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“Shut your mouth! You despicable creature. Speak nonsense one more time and I’ll tear you apart.”
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“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”
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An elf knight angrily retorted to the scribe who tried to flatter him. He felt like beheading him on the spot.
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Meanwhile, Johan was reassessing his thoughts. What was the most important thing in this situation?
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Joining the main force in battle was obvious, but above all. . .
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‘𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘉𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘯 𝘌𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.’
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He was of high hostage value as a noble, and the best to trouble the Emperor in this affair. Even if the tail is cut off, Baron Eiven, as a well-known limb of the Emperor, can’t escape blame. Anyone with eyes would recognize him. . .
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“Sir, give the command. If it’s your order, I’ll gladly follow.”
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“No, just as usual. . .”
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“Right, I can happily follow Sir Johan’s command. Please, give your order.”
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Johan was disgusted by the overly friendly elf knights. Honestly, he didn’t get along with the elf knights. He would accept gratitude for saving their lives but didn’t want to become personally close.
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Still, the elf knights continued to approach him in a friendly manner.
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“Where are you from in the Empire, do you know any nobles, have you thought about joining under Count Bartok, how much debt do you owe to the merchants. . .”
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Thanks to that, Johan let out a sigh of relief when he spotted the battlefield in the distance.
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“Well done, Karamaf.”