Chapter 270

The storm-like mass had ended.

The soldiers, who had been robust and brimming with tense, sharp-eyed energy, filed out of the mass site with faces drained of all spirit, utterly stunned. The low-ranking commander who had intended to remain loyal to the Imperial family was no different.

‘Is all of that true?’

That preposterous novel distributed by the Maindulante army… was it real? Had the entire continent been deceived all this time by the descendants of traitors? Praising that family as humanity’s saviors, even enduring occasional injustices on their behalf?

He couldn’t doubt the priest. His faith would not allow him to suspect a clergyman, and moreover, the content of sermons during mass was reviewed and directed by high-ranking clergy led by Pope Omnitus III. If a priest spoke out of turn out of momentary greed, he would face severe punishment.

There were more than a few military chaplains in the Maindulante army. Even after joining the military, they continued to gather among themselves, maintaining contact with the Papacy and with priests from temples they passed along the way. The words he heard today… might be repeated not only here, but throughout this area—no, throughout the entire Bistor Empire. Only the location and the listeners would change.

As the dazed low-ranking commander walked on, someone blocked his path. The man standing imposingly before him was Aidan, a large knight of high status even among the Grand Duke’s retinue.

Aidan said nothing, but the moment their eyes met, the low-ranking commander understood that his and his comrades’ plans had been discovered.

He knew better than anyone that resistance was meaningless. Silently, he followed behind Aidan.

Before the afternoon arrived, all those who had been seduced by the Imperial spies had confessed.

And at the hour when the sun reached its highest point in the sky, the Maindulante army began its final battle.

❖ ❖ ❖

A man from the farthest fringes of the Imperial collateral lines—someone who barely used a miscellaneous surname denoting his lineage, yet had never once felt kinship with the direct descendants of that great hero—watched the terrifyingly enormous army march.

All around him were others in similar circumstances. Whether Imperial or noble families, those whose degree of relation from the main line exceeded a certain point were given new surnames designated for such people. They could pretend to have a glorious ancestor, but they were merely low-ranking nobles who received no support from the main house.

One of the units guarding the western gate of Pellena, the Imperial Capital—the unit the man belonged to—was composed entirely of such origins. He had heard there were similar units at the southern gate, the eastern gate, and the northern gate as well. Military organization and deployment were supposed to be secrets, but the man and his fellow collateral relatives had no notion of military secrecy.

It was baffling why they would bother forming units out of low-ranking nobles, who received no special training, only to throw them out here like this. Was it to cheaply fulfill the obligation of noble blood? To urge the units of regular soldiers to hold out a little longer?

‘Well, it’s not effective.’

Thump, thump, thump, thump. What could possibly hold meaning before the sight of that immense enemy army advancing with a dreadfully monotonous sound? Thump, thump, thump, thump. The Grand Duke’s demonic soldiers moved slowly because the field was packed with obstacles, but that only made them more intimidating. Thump, thump, thump, thump. He wanted to run away….

The words from this morning’s mass had already driven the morale of those defending the Imperial family into the ground. And the news that all the priests in the Imperial Capital had been urgently dragged away by the Imperial Investigation Unit near the end of mass felt like a death knell for the life he had lived until now. The man’s legs trembled.

The Maindulante army was large enough to surround the Imperial Capital. The terror of being encircled by a vast army with high morale—citizens already wanted to flee. They were simply trapped, forcibly prevented from leaving by the Imperial family.

“What should we do?”

In the low-ranking noble unit, undisciplined from lack of training, someone who was usually close to the man sidled up and asked. The man felt it was deeply absurd that he had been put in charge of this unit simply for being a worthless Imperial collateral. If he were just a rank-and-file soldier, his chances of slipping away unnoticed would have been higher.

“You heard the order earlier. Stay put until the signal to attack is given.”

“Aren’t they getting too close? What if the attack signal is late?”

“How could it be late? Then they’d die too.”

Several units, including the man’s, were camped outside the western gate, and it was arranged for the Imperial Army commander on the observation post directly above the western gate to give the signal. The eastern, northern, and southern gates were likely the same.

Boo…… Boo…… Boo……. Horns and drums sounded from the Maindulante camp. The obstacles were pushed aside—shattered, collapsed. The barricades they had installed with desperation were trampled helplessly, like an anthill before a natural disaster. Contrary to his confident boasting to his friend, cold sweat soon broke out across the man’s back.

‘When are they going to give the signal?’

Truthfully, the Maindulante army still hadn’t come right up close. With obstacles between them, there was no reason for the defenders to rush out first and abandon that advantage. But even standing still like this, every moment felt like brushing against death. The enemy was too, too… numerous.

It was as he clenched his chilled fists, struggling to steady his breathing, that one of the low-ranking nobles who had been glancing at him anxiously suddenly widened his eyes.

“Huh?”

“What is it?”

The man snapped. The other noble stared into his eyes and shouted, “Uh! Uh uh!” Why? What is it? Frustrated, the man was about to flare up when the people around him began acting the same way.

“Uh! Uh uh!”

“Th-the Ja’an…!”

Ja’an?

The man was bewildered. But before he could speak, a surge of power erupted from within him—an absolute force, as if he could throw, tear, and crush anything.

“Look at this.”

His friend held out a smooth shield. The man stared at his reflection. An Azure Jewel Eye now filled both eyes—eyes that had been ordinary blue.

“Ha…!”

A breath escaped him, half laughter, half disbelief. He didn’t know why this had happened, but one thing was clear.

His chances of surviving this battle had just increased.

The man—now possessing the Azure Jewel Eye—crumpled the iron shield his friend had given him as if it were paper. Then he hurled it toward the enemy.

Whoosh!

The shield tore through the air and struck one of the enemy’s low-ranking commanders. The man fell from his horse.

“Ugh, ugh, ughaaaaa!”

Was this what it felt like to be dragged from death back into life? The men in the unit, their courage swelling a hundredfold, roared. Even though he had attacked without orders, no reprimand came from anywhere.

Instead, the long-awaited signal finally sounded.

The man—and the soldiers whose morale had soared at the sight of him—charged toward the Maindulante army, which had nearly cleared the obstacles and advanced alongside their siege engines.

The commander of the Maindulante army’s western gate assault clicked his tongue as he watched the Imperial collateral who had gained the Ja’an—just as Cledwyn had warned. Camille truly had prepared a troublesome move.

With power like that, even if regular soldiers swarmed and swung their blades, they likely wouldn’t be able to touch him.

No matter how many ants there are, they cannot defeat a grown human.

‘But.’

The commander didn’t despair. It was simply good luck.

“So this is the proof.”

A light voice rose from the lowest compartment of the siege tower, stacked high above. It came just as the high-spirited Imperial troops, charging triumphantly, reached within a hair’s breadth.

Creeeak.

A section of the siege tower’s wooden planks swung open as if it weighed nothing. From within emerged a black-haired man on horseback. Not many had seen his face in person, but those gray eyes, those inhumanly beautiful features, and that black cloak were famous.

“Gr-Grand Duke!”

The man with the Azure Jewel Eye screamed, almost shrieking. Cledwyn laughed and urged his horse forward.

He’d come himself.

An hour ago, the man would have fled the instant he saw Cledwyn. Now, with the Azure Jewel Eye’s power surging inside him, exhilaration flooded his chest. No ordinary person could defeat him now.

The man with the Azure Jewel Eye stopped and lowered his stance, ready to catch the Grand Duke’s horse. The corner of Cledwyn’s mouth lifted, as if amused by the display.

“Yes. I expected someone like you would appear.”

“Do you know why Camille deliberately stationed you outside, even though you have the castle?” Cledwyn asked.

When fighting a defensive battle, you should first drain the enemy’s strength from a safe place.

The man with the Azure Jewel Eye couldn’t answer.

“You’re test subjects. She wants to see how much a seed that has gained the Ja’an can fight against a human army. Inside the castle walls, other Imperial collateral scum—smarter than you, and willing to fight as Camille commands—are probably gathered.”

The man lunged to seize on Cledwyn’s words. The omnipotence he felt for the first time in his life, the thrill—what did the words of someone without a Ja’an matter? And what greater glory would be his if he achieved merit here…?

But he never learned what further glory awaited him.

Cledwyn’s sword moved with perfectly efficient skill, and the man’s head fell.

Cledwyn looked down arrogantly at the Imperial troops.

The soldiers who had found courage moments before were nowhere to be seen. Crushed by this second setback, they couldn’t even raise their eyes. To them, the commander of the Maindulante army’s western gate assault shouted loudly.

“Those who surrender will not be killed! Make way! The descendant of the hero goes to decide the final victory or defeat with the descendants of the traitors!”

❖ ❖ ❖

Aidan, in charge of the assault on Pellena’s eastern gate, stared fixedly at the man with the Azure Jewel Eye rampaging before him.

At a glance, the man was intoxicated by his newly acquired power. Soldiers swarmed him with weapons raised, but they barely managed to touch his body. With his tremendous strength, even a casual swing of his shield shattered their blades, and even when a blade did land, it left little more than a scratch.

‘Her Highness said this might happen.’

From Camille’s perspective, it was the most effective proof to support her claim that she had taken White Swan Castle.

Until now, the Imperial family had used the Power of Pheros to create children possessing Bistor’s Ja’an. But it couldn’t be done endlessly. If it could, they would have already conquered the world with an invincible army made from Imperial collaterals.

Aidan wasn’t bewildered. Nor was he indignant. Because Cledwyn had already hinted that this might happen.

‘They say no one has seen the Emperor’s appearance lately.’

Just how many people could be given the Azure Jewel Eye? Until now, it had only been one or two per generation. If Nerys was truly safe, as Cledwyn said, then this must be the Emperor’s power…

‘Or perhaps it can be divided into small pieces and distributed to many.’

If even riffraff like this were receiving it, the limit likely wasn’t small. Aidan felt a brief worry for Cledwyn. He had said breaking the Seal was most important, so he would enter the capital alone, in secret—but what if he ran into a whole unit of such men by himself?

Now it was clear what Camille had been relying on all this time: new warriors with Ja’an, and the abnormal situation at White Swan Castle that—she believed—proved it.

“All of you, make way.”

Aidan spoke gravely. The soldiers surrounding the man stepped aside, opening a path.

‘If it’s power divided finely among many, there’s no reason I can’t handle him with skill.’

Aidan drew his sword as if in prayer and advanced toward the man with the Azure Jewel Eye.

A short while later, the Maindulante army’s eastern gate assault unit began the true siege.