MTLNOVEL Chapter 309
Chapter 310. Can’t You Feel My Kindness? (4)
“General Colton. I’m not sure if this is the right thing to do.”
General Colton, who was resting in the general’s tent, spoke to the staff officer who had come to see him.
“What do you mean?”
“About poisoning Sephira’s water source.”
“Hmm?”
As Colton remained silent, the staff officer pulled out a glass bottle from his pocket.
“Wasn’t it Prince Rukan’s order to use the Poison of the Demon Realm? But you’ve only added herbs that cause vomiting and diarrhea… This is already the second time you’ve disobeyed orders.”
“You. What was your name again?”
“It’s Log, General.”
“Did you come here to advise me or to threaten me?”
“……”
“Planting the Hell Seed and contaminating the water source with the Poison of the Demon Realm. If that happens, this southern region will become a Land of Death. A land where no one can survive.”
“But it’s the Prince’s order. You know very well that we receive letters every day urging us to deal with Sephira as quickly as possible.”
“I replied that we would need time until at least March of next year, no matter how fast we go.”
“The Prince’s reply to that has just arrived.”
The staff officer pulled out a piece of parchment from his pocket. Colton didn’t even need to look at it to know what it said.
“Tsk.”
The contents were as expected, but even more severe.
– General Colton. I’ll give you one week. I will no longer tolerate your slow, turtle-like advance. If you do not attack Sephira, I will consider it an act of treason.
Colton, who barely held back from tearing the parchment, muttered.
“The Prince is truly unreasonable. Victory will come naturally if we wait, so why force sacrifices and plant the seeds of revenge?”
Even if we engage in a full-scale war as Prince Rukan commands, Sephira can be defeated without issue. But two problems arise.
First, our own casualties will be severe, and second, we won’t be able to ‘annihilate’ Sephira.
The only way to prevent a chain of revenge is to annihilate them completely, leaving no seeds behind.
Of course, Colton didn’t want to do that, nor was he bloodthirsty, but realistically, if he didn’t, the resentment would surely come back like a boomerang.
In other words, if he decided to attack Sephira, he would have to kill every last ant, leaving no room for even the slightest possibility.
And the siege was the first step toward annihilation.
“If only we had Prime’s support…”
Rukan had not deployed Prime to the Sephira expedition. He judged that the Grandmaster alone would be enough, even if Keter was present.
“To know it’s foolish yet still have to do it. Am I a clown?”
Colton’s irritation surged. The storms of time had worn down his emotions, making him neither angry nor happy over trivial matters, but Prince Rukan’s tyranny was enough to boil even Colton’s cold heart.
Suddenly, the word ‘treason’ flashed through his mind. Along with it, a figure emerged. It wasn’t Second Prince Rakan.
The National Scholar, Lerkin.
‘Now that I think about it, there are many suspicious aspects.’
Lerkin didn’t gain the nobles’ support just by being the Queen’s Husband. He made outrageous promises.
He promised to abolish the royal bloodline succession and allow any noble with the qualifications to become the next king.
To prove this, he even declared that the country’s name would be changed to ‘Markion,’ meaning ‘the country of all.’
Moreover, he greatly increased the freedom and rights of the nobles, announcing that there would no longer be royal palace approval or surveillance for overseas travel.
Lerkin’s promises, which addressed the frustrations of the nobles living in the Lilian Kingdom, garnered much support.
‘But his power is still unstable compared to Princes Rukan and Rakan.’
Prince Rukan has 200,000 troops. He also possesses three Primes, so the 30,000 troops sent to subjugate Sephira are just a drop in the bucket.
‘There’s no opportunity or justification for treason.’
In the end, there was only one answer.
To follow Prince Rukan’s damn foolish orders.
“Staff Officer Log.”
“Yes, General.”
“When the next blizzard hits, we will launch a full-scale attack on Sephira.”
“…Indeed!”
When a blizzard hits, visibility drops drastically, making it impossible to see even an inch ahead.
It’s common sense to halt the advance then, so Sephira’s archers would likely rest easy, thinking no one would attack through a blizzard.
Who would expect an attack through a blizzard?
“Tell all soldiers. When the blizzard hits, they are to remove all clothing except for their weapons and basic combat attire to ensure mobility. We don’t know when the blizzard will end, so we must hurry as much as possible. We cannot give Sephira time to react.”
Log hesitated. Telling them to wear only basic combat attire meant discarding all winter gear like coats and boots.
“What? If they remove their winter gear in this weather… the soldiers will surely get frostbite.”
“They won’t die from a few rotten fingers or toes. But they will die if hit by Sephira’s arrows.”
“At least allow them to wear leather coats. If we do as you say, the soldiers, especially the knights, will strongly oppose. Morale will plummet…”
“Of course, morale will plummet. If the officers and lieutenants are wrapped in fur coats, drinking by the bonfire. But what if I, the commander, lead the charge in the same attire?”
“……?!”
The lieutenant was a greenhorn who knew nothing of battle. Even wrapped head to toe in fur, his bones ached from the cold. Imagining charging without clothes in such weather made him shiver involuntarily.
Colton chuckled.
“Don’t worry. I’m including myself in this.”
“What? Y-you can’t mean…”
“Don’t play dumb. If I, the commander, charge at the front, you’re not planning to rest at the back, are you?”
Staff Officer Log felt fortunate that General Colton was on their side.
A genius of war who sacrifices even himself to achieve the best results under adverse conditions. The thought of facing such a person as an enemy sent shivers down his spine.
‘Sephira can never defeat General Colton.’
But a slight doubt crept in.
‘Running in this freezing cold at over seventy years old? And at the very front? That’s impossible. He must be saying this to encourage me.’
But the very next day, Log’s thoughts were proven entirely wrong.
As soon as signs of the blizzard appeared, General Colton was the first to remove his clothes.
“……!”
Even the knights, who were less affected by the cold, hesitated to remove their clothes, but General Colton led by example. Who would dare keep their clothes on then?
Officers, lieutenants, knights, and soldiers all removed their clothes. Their bodies shrank in the freezing cold.
Colton’s body was far from that of a warrior. He was thin overall, with only a protruding belly. Yet, the aura he exuded was formidable.
“To those who survive, I’ll give you soup full of meat and liquor!”
Even in the blizzard, General Colton’s words rang clearly in their ears.
The lieutenants and staff officers repeated General Colton’s words. It took only ten seconds for it to spread to all 30,000 soldiers.
“Chaaaarge!”
Colton, holding his sword, roared as he charged forward. It wasn’t just for show.
“Uwaaaaah!”
In the freezing blizzard, 30,000 soldiers charged simultaneously. A complete contrast to their previous cautious approach.
“Ugh!”
“Don’t push!”
Frozen ground caused many to fall, and unlucky ones got snow in their eyes, flailing and pushing others, causing various accidents.
But Colton didn’t stop the charge. It was all expected. There was no capacity to care for those who fell behind.
“We will capture Sephira before the blizzard ends!”
Archers can’t shoot in such conditions. But swordsmen can wield their swords. They hold an absolute advantage.
So, if we can endure this cold, we win. Colton kept emphasizing this to motivate the soldiers.
As he expected, or rather, as was obvious, there were no Sephira scouts. Operating scouts in this blizzard is difficult, and who would predict an attack through it?
How long did they run? Before even fighting, 2,000 of the 30,000 soldiers fell behind, but they finally reached Sephira’s inner fortress in one go.
Sephira’s walls were low. Exaggerating, they were like fences that knights could jump over.
“No guards on the walls. The heavens are on our side!”
Confirming that even the archers on guard were absent due to the harsh weather, General Colton shouted with confidence in victory. His subordinates also believed in victory.
“Look, General! Over there! The gate, the gate is open.”
“What?!”
It’s natural for there to be no archers on the walls, but why is the gate open?
Then.
Ding, deeeeng.
A clear, melodious harp sound echoed across the battlefield. The sound was so out of place that everyone stopped without being told.
“General, look at the bell tower!”
One of the knights pointed to the top of the gate. There, a boy was playing the harp.
*
On the bell tower above the open gate.
A boy sat there, holding a harp.
Ding, ding-ding-ding…….
In the midst of a winter blizzard, in front of tens of thousands of soldiers, the boy playing the harp was none other than Daat.
The Kingdom Army didn’t recognize Daat. But the strange atmosphere made them hesitate to advance, waiting for their commander’s orders.
Colton glared at Daat.
‘What’s his intention? Did he know we were coming? How?’
It’s understandable to leave the wall guards absent during a blizzard, but the gate being open is beyond common sense.
And now, playing a harp right above the gate?
There’s no escort. No powerful defensive magic protecting him. The snow piling up on the boy’s body is clearly visible.
Glance.
The boy briefly looked at Colton and the army, then continued playing the harp as if nothing was wrong.
The harp’s sound was refreshing. Even in this cold, how could it produce such a clear sound?
“General. Give the order. If we stay like this, we’ll all freeze to death.”
There was no time to observe. At the lieutenant’s words, Colton squinted his eyes.
“This is a trap.”
Colton never fell for Sephira’s traps. If it seemed dangerous, he would retreat immediately.
“A deception using my caution. Showing me something incomprehensible to bewilder me.”
Whoosh.
Colton pointed his sword at the gate.
“Knights will lead the charge. Even if there’s an ambush, arrows can’t be accurately aimed in this blizzard. Charge!”
Anticipating the soldiers’ fear, Colton took the lead himself.
“What about that boy?”
“Capture him.”
“Yes.”
Immediately, a knight rushed toward Daat.
With that, everything was resolved. The Kingdom Army entered Sephira’s inner fortress without resistance, advancing into the courtyard.
The courtyard was empty. It might be because of the blizzard, but still.
Then.
“General Colton. I expected you would think it’s a deception.”
Daat’s voice echoed from the bell tower where he had been playing the harp. The knight sent to capture him was nowhere to be seen.
‘A trap. But we’ve already entered the inner fortress.’
20,000 of the 30,000 troops had entered the inner fortress. The rest were surrounding the outside, so they could handle anything.
General Colton looked up at the sky. The blizzard was just ending.
“The heavens are on our side!”
Thanks to the blizzard, we could reach here unnoticed by Sephira. That same blizzard, now an obstacle, had just ended.
“Hahaha! As expected, there’s nothing here!”
The blizzard ended, and the sky cleared. The revealed inner fortress of Sephira was empty.
“Wait, no one’s here?”
Realizing that no one being there was even stranger didn’t take long.
“General, look! The sky! Look at the sky!”
One of the knights pointed to the sky. There, a person was floating in the air. A young man with his hands in his pockets, looking down.
Everyone who saw him shouted in unison.
“K-Keter!”
“The Divine Archer of the South!”
Recently, Keter’s title had been elevated from ‘Archer of the South’ to ‘Divine Archer of the South,’ thanks to defeating five Grandmasters.
‘So that’s Keter.’
Colton felt a sense of caution seeing Keter appear suddenly, but he had already anticipated such a situation.
Swish.
Colton raised his hand, giving a signal.
Simultaneously, the deputy commanders and commanders hidden among the knights stepped forward. Seven 6-star Grandmasters.
Not only that. They were equipped with Orichalcon armor imbued with magic, and their weapons were level 4 magical tools. Far more experienced and better equipped than the five Grandmasters Keter had fought before.
Even if Keter’s prowess was real, they were prepared to kill him without issue. If Keter appeared, the seven Grandmasters were to surround and annihilate him.
But for some reason.
Hesitate, hesitate.
The seven Grandmasters, the best in the royal palace, hesitated to rush at Keter, only exchanging glances.
They knew. The first to rush would be the first to die.
Even without Keter making a fierce expression or verbally threatening, their instincts told them. They would die.
Just the aura Keter unconsciously emitted was enough to freeze tens of thousands of soldiers and seven Grandmasters in place.
But this standoff couldn’t last forever. General Colton gave the order.
“Spread out. The Grandmasters will handle Keter!”
Just as he gave the order to prevent the soldiers from getting involved.
Keter slowly swept his gaze over the army and spoke.
“Do you have a god you believe in?”
Keter extended his index finger. A spark flew from its tip.
Ziiiiing.
The moment a tiny spark flew from his finger, it began to amplify and multiply in the blink of an eye.
The spark transformed into the shape of an arrow. What seemed like one became seven, then twenty, then a hundred.
In an instant, the endlessly multiplying arrows spread like wings on either side of Keter.
Crackle, crackle.
Each arrow was made of Milky Way, totaling a thousand. They spread like wings on either side of Keter, resembling an angel’s wings.
But Keter was not the merciful angel people imagined.
“I won’t give you time to pray.”
The angel of death had descended upon Sephira.