Circumstances of a Fallen Lord - Chapter 139

Chapter 139

The demon worshiper, who guarded the entrance, looked triumphant. He had the look of someone who was finally elated to be able to fight at an equal level after being forced to run away his entire life. “Hahaha! How stupid of you to walk to your grave with your own two feet. There’s no helping light anywhere near here to give you salvation!”

At the demon worshiper’s shout, the battle began in earnest. The ghouls and the Count’s knights pressed forward towards the Paladins.

“Go!” The demon worshiper flourished his hand.

Then, bat monsters, the size of a human head, hovered into the air before attacking the Paladins from the sky. They used their sharp claws to kick and slash at their opponents, obscuring the Paladins’ visions.

“I see those guys weren’t just playing around in the castle,” Carlton said, evaluating the situation. Luisen nodded as well. It seems that the Count had been preparing for battle while stuck inside the palace.

“God is always with us!” The Paladins chanted holy rallying cries. A sacred blue fire broke out around them, and the Paladins stood in harmonious formation. They formed a straight line and calmly defended against attacks from both their front and back.

The Paladins prevailed in terms of individual strength and organizational strength. The enemy were sharp and accurate with their attacks, but these attacks weren’t fatal.

“If it keeps going like this, we’ll lose.” Carlton’s expression was dark.

“Why?” Luisen asked.

Batting the bat monster away, Carlton answered, “Time.”

All the demon worshippers needed to do was to stop the Paladins from entering the area. Try. Therefore, they attacked and retreated, holding the Paladins at bay. Meanwhile, the dark red mist enveloping the building was thickening by the minute.

The dark, crimson fog gave power to the demon worshippers. Their strength would only grow stronger as the ritual progressed. If the power of the Paladins was fatal to the demon worshippers, the opposite was true as well. The young lord could see that the blue light seemed to weaken, little by little. Moderate winds might make fire strong, but a strong enough wind would put that fire out.

“We can’t waste any more time.” Morrison made a decision–he had come to the same conclusion as Carlton. “I’m going to charge, even if I take some damage.”

“Still, it’ll be difficult for everyone to enter the building.”

The building’s entrance was relatively small. It was inevitable that a bottleneck would form if all the Paladins tried to enter.

“Only I and you two will enter first. The Paladins will simultaneously clear the way and guard the rear,” Morrison said.

“Alright.”

Morrison immediately commanded the Paladins, “Charge!”

The Paladins directed their spears forward and changed formation into something that resembled an arrow; they charged at the door with tremendous speed, gaining momentum with each step. The group looked like a giant spear.

“Block them! Gather at the center!” The demon worshippers quickly responded. 

More ghouls threw themselves out to interrupt the Paladins’ course. Monsters and knights rushed at them from all sides.

It was a formidable counterattack. The Paladins endured all the attacks, using their bodies to clear a path. Many of them took hits, but they didn’t flinch. Their speed remained unbroken, creating openings and opportunities as they passed through.

The Paladins created these opportunities at the risk of injury. Carlton skillfully rode Zephys, and Luisen maneuvered his body so as to not be a hindrance. Morrison followed behind. The three entered the building as if the wind were blowing at their tails.

“Damn it! Block them! Block the door! What are you guys doing? The rear is all open! Surround the ‘God’s’ henchmen!” The demon worshipper roared.

Although they had allowed an opening to form, the heretic’s’ side had a mountain of ghouls that seemed un-killable. In the blink of an eye, the ghouls threw themselves towards the door, blocking any additional entry of the Paladins.

Therefore, the Paladins were then surrounded by enemy forces. Due to their reckless charge, their rear was vulnerable; they were placed in a largely disadvantageous position.

Nevertheless, the Paladins didn’t panic and calmly chanted prayers. The light surrounding them wavered a bit more intensely.

The battle at the building’s entrance quickly turned into an all-out-melee.

Though the three that made the advance group managed to enter the building, they faced a difficult situation. Beyond the door, there were more knights ready to block the three men.

“I’m going to push through!” Carlton took the lead, wielding a sword, and penetrated through the front. Morrison followed closely behind, dispatching stragglers with his mace. Carlton easily navigated through the knights even with Luisen at his back. For Carlton, this type of combat was rather easy, and Zephys was also experienced in battle as well. The problem laid with Morrison.

Ordinary horses in the church’s employ weren’t familiar with these sort of battles. His horse stopped as they passed through the Count’s knights. Morrison tried to hurry his horse, but the pace inevitably slowed. One of the count’s knights threw a dagger at the horse.

Whinny–!

“Nngh!”

As the horse collapsed, Morrison fell off its back. Luisen and Carlton, quite a distance ahead, looked back. They wanted to come to his rescue, but… If they fought together, they may win, but that would take time. Also, there was no guarantee that Carlton’s might could power through everything. This could be fatal in a situation where Carlton did not know what awaited ahead.

Morrison stood up quickly and shouted, “Go on ahead! I’ll catch up!”

“We can’t find the ritual site without you!”

“The Pope said my Duke will lead us to victory! I believe in his words.”

Luisen and Carlton couldn’t be stubborn at those words. Carlton didn’t turn around and resumed his charge. Luisen looked back at Morrison.

Morrison held his mace and began to fight with the count’s knights.

“Morrison will be fine. Rather, you should be worried about his opponents. The count’s knights are average in comparison to Morrison,” Carlton reassured Luisen. In truth, there was no way to know what would happen, but the situation had already unfolded in this manner. There was no going back.

The two men disappeared far into the hallway on Zephys’s back.

***

At a similar time, in the Southern Region:

As the year flowed into winter, the sun began to set noticeably earlier. Darkness seemed to set in much faster, so no one was wandering around outside.

After several quiet nights, no one would have suspected that several troops laid in wait in the forest that connected the Anies duchy and Count Doubless’s territory.

The commander of Duke Anies’ forces surveyed the troops that consisted of Anies duchy’s soldiers, Carlton’s mercenary troops, and the Paladins.

‘When midnight comes…’

All preparations were made well in advance of the promised start of their attack. The plan, which had been reviewed several times, was flawless.

Their objective was to eliminate the demon worshippers.

The demon worshipper’s’ stronghold was located in the Count’s mansion’s basement. Apparently, most of the demon worshippers gathered there. At least… so said the inquisitor that had managed to infiltrate the mansion.

When midnight came, the heresy inquisitor was supposed to open the exterior gate. They would access the mansion through the open gate and raid the demon worshippers. At the same time, they would need to subdue the Count’s knights.

The key to victory or loss would lay in how hard the Count’s forces would resist and how many monsters the demon worshippers would summon.

‘We already subjugated the monsters in the forest in advance, but…’

They had taken care of their rear. The neighboring lords were warned in advance to ignore any disturbances and feign ignorance, so the chance of something unexpected arising was low, but…

‘Our preparation is perfect, but…’

The general was somewhat uneasy. The enemy held unknown power. Although they had obtained information through the inquisitor’s actions, the information just made him more shocked and frightened of the depths of their wickedness.

‘The capital battlefront must be in full swing by now… How could my Lord confront these people?’

‘This old man is so scared even though he’s behind so many troops… But Luisen insisted on leading the way into the enemy camp.’ 

Once a youth, Luisen had grown up and was leading them all. The General secretly wiped proud and fond tears with a handkerchief.

‘He must come back unscathed.’

From what he’s seen so far, the General believed that the young lord could obtain victory. Carlton was with the young lord; though he may grumble about the mercenary, the General couldn’t deny the man’s skills.

‘His subordinates are also quite trustworthy. For mercenaries, they have manners…’

Just as he thought that–

Carlton’s deputy suddenly called out, “My brothers! Charge! We must rush to the gate right now!”

Simultaneously, Carlton’s mercenaries began to hurry towards the gates.

“What are you all doing?!” The General shouted, confused. There were still three hours left before the attack was supposed to start. Even if they started now, the gate would still be closed; and they ran the risk of exposing their ambush. Their carefully crafted plan was on the verge of collapse.

Then, a soldier ran towards the General, “The gate has opened.”

“Already? What happened?”

“There seems to have been… some trouble inside. The person collapsed as soon as he opened the gate.”

Though it was hard to see due to the darkness, the inquisitor must have been fatally shot. The details were obscured, but the enemies definitely must have noticed their surprise attack.

The enemy wasn’t stupid. Despite the rising anxiety, the General remained calm. “Let’s move as well.”

The knight captain listened to the General and quickly relayed some commands to his people. The knights began to move; Carlton’s men had already arrived at the gate and were locked in battle with the Count’s men, who were trying to block the forced entry.

As planned, the duchy’s soldiers and the Paladins moved in as well.

The General, left behind, observed nervously. The battle had begun, and all he could do now was wait for any news.

It was going to be a long night.

He desperately wished for good news both from the battlegrounds here and at the Palace.

The General prayed against the backdrop of the hazy moonlight.

***

Carlton and Luisen dismounted as soon as they entered the inner palace. Carlton freed Zephys from his reigns–it would be too difficult to move around on horseback due to the narrow passages. Zephys disappeared as it searched for a safe spot on its own.

The two stopped at the stairs.

They were at a loss as to what to do next.

“Where should we go?”

No one knew where the ritual was supposed to take place. Morrison, who could follow the ritual site while chasing the wicked energy of the demon worshippers, had been left behind. They had encountered another mountain just as they had climbed to the summit.