* * *
He heard that the Fifth Prince was coming to the North, but he only thought that he would keep himself under protection together with the Imperial Army in the Marquis Castle, which was the safest location.
That’s the image of the Fifth Prince he had from what he heard so far.
“Did the Fifth Prince sent them?”
Cron wiped away the blood covering his eyes and turned his head toward the direction where the horn trumpet sounded, and he freaked out.
“O Emperor! Destroy your enemies in the name of the Emperor!”
The Fifth Prince, who he thought would stay in a safer location, was currently leading the battle himself.
Even his position was not protected, it was close to the front line.
Cron felt his brain flying away seeing the strange situation that shouldn’t have happen according to the rumors about the Fifth Prince.
“Cap…Captain……! Next to the Emperor’s flag is the flag of the Fifth Prince!”
“I think the Fifth Prince has entered the battlefield!”
Soldiers and knights made a fuss.
He felt awkward seeing the unexpected situation but at the same time delighted that the reinforcements had come, while at the same time, he raised his head with a strong sense of duty to protect the precious imperial family of the Pilias.
They, too, swore allegiance to the Pilias Empire and the Emperor.
Although it is not as crazy as the Imperial Army or the Central Army, the mission to protect the imperial family was alive and breathing in their hearts.
“Forever, forward! We are covering the Fifth Prince and the Imperial Army!
The Fifth Prince, Raymond, along with the Imperial Army, was charging deep into enemy territory.
Despite the loss of the archers and the wizard’s lives through two high-ranking magic tricks, the formation of the mountain mercenaries was still solid.
Because he thought it was suicide to carry out the charge as it was, Cron gathered the surviving soldiers, shouting out his throat.
“Oh, no…….”
The Imperial Army began a battle of white soldiers with mountain mercenaries. They were trained soldier and in good condition, but lacked practical experience. (White soldiers= Newbie, they are not tanned because they were not training in the battlefield.)
Cron thought they would be pushed back against mountain mercenaries who had fought against the ruins every day, but rather the Imperial Army was pushing the mountain mercenaries.
Then, at the vanguard of the Imperial Army, there was a knight with a single arm in a black uniform.
He looked unstable without his left arm, but whenever he swung the sword, the heavily armed mountain mercenaries collapsed.
“Argh!”
“Argh!”
The blue manasword split the mountain mercenaries. As the leader collapsed, the formation collapsed. The Imperial Army followed him and cut down the enemies.
They were fighting much better than Cron thought. In the first place, there were two high-ranking wizards from Red Tower and Blue Tower.
The mercenary wizard of the mountain mercenaries were only intermediate.
It’s because Raymond has taken away all the main characters’ companion, and the wizards who were originally above the Great level were so powerful that they needed to restrict their level to high-ranking wizards.
This situation was not common.
“The Fifth Prince is with us! Never have fear! Don’t back down!”
The cry of the commander of the Imperial Army rang loudly on the battlefield. Even though he didn’t use his Mana’s power, it was still a loud voice.
“What the hell is the Imperial Army doing here!”
The commander of the mountain mercenary unit uttered a nervous curse. It’s almost done. He thought so too.
The mercenary troops was informed that he would lead a combat team into the black mountain range and ordered to kidnap or kill the Marquis’s Son for the “Great Commendment.”
The eldest son of Marquis Crayer, Cron, had a combat force of 500, they were similar in number, but due to the location the mercenaries had more advantages in battle.
They were certain of victory, and contacted other mercenary commanders to launch a joint attack on Cron and his infantry, just in case they weren’t good enough.
Cron and the infantry could not overcome the gap in strength and seemed to slowly collapse. A smile spread around the mouths of the two mercenary commanders.
Then, out of the blue, the Imperial Army appeared.
“What the hell is wrong with them?”
He saw soon the flag of the Fifth Prince and his eyes filled with greed.
‘Yes, now that I’m done, I’m going to take the Fifth Prince’s throat.’
If he were to kill an Imperial family, things will get bigger. However, he was only a commander of a mercenary unit and became a run towards him like a locomotive without stopping ahead.
“Attack the Imperial Army first!”
Mountain mercenaries screamed in unison and changed their formation. They launched a counterattack against the Imperial Army, but it wasn’t easy.
There were two high-ranking wizards and a high-ranking knight. Although the Imperial Army’s lack hands-on experience, it was still not a battle with equal power.
The war was going in favor of the Pilias.
“The enemy’s forces are scattered.”
Alex approached and reported. He threw his servant’s clothes and was wearing the Shadowd Squad uniform.
The Fifth Prince, Raymond, stopped and examined his enemies.
The mercenaries who blocked the retreat were on the run and the others did not look well.
‘All right, it’s going according to plan.’
A smile spread around Raymond’s mouth. The two towers master and Gesteine were running amok. Desia was also giving a great help.
Five of the intermediate wizards from the mountain mercenaries side lost their lives at the start, and since then, their friendly wizards have been pouring overwhelming firepower without any interruption.
“The enemy is on the loose.”
A knight of the Imperial Army, standing next to him in the name of escort, said in a calm voice.
Raymond turned his head and scanned the battlefield.
He saw the back of the enemies running away scattered.
They were the mountain mercenaries of the Fresyria Kingdom, who fled in great fear.
* * *
“Is it true that His Highness the Fifth led the Imperial Army into the Black Mountains?”
“Yes, the border forces have confirmed it.”
At Suha’s report, Marquis Crayer felt a severe headache and grabbed his head.
Last night, the Fifth Prince hurriedly sent a messenger after receiving a report that he had left the central city with the Imperial Army, but somehow the speed of Imperial Army’s advance seems to have been faster than that of the messenger.
“What the hell is going on here?”
“….”
Although the imperial family is said to be with them, the morale of the imperial army was unusually high. The question only deepens as he have no idea what Raymond, the Fifth Prince, had done.
“Shouldn’t we inform the imperial family?”
The knight who was standing next to him carefully said.
The Black Mountains, it was a battlefield full of evilness and the enemy soldiers.
Everyday there was a hell day without having blood drenched every day. It is a matter that should be reported to the imperial family, because the youngest child of the Imperial family has entered in such place.
“Prepare the magic communications.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Marquis Crayer ordered the magic communications to be prepared with mixed feelings.
It was such a serious and urgent matter that he decided to use magic communication in which he needed a high-ranking wizard and an expensive crystal ball for contact.
‘Maybe the imperial family will be soon in turmoil.’
The last place where the Fifth Prince stayed was this central city, so Marquis Crayer was responsible if anything happens to the Prince.
“Magic communication is ready.”
While agonizing over how to deal with it and what to do in the future, the servant who called the highest-ranking wizard, returned.
Marquis Crayer finished organizing his thoughts and followed the servant calmly. Currently in the magic communication room, he was talking from someone of the imperial palace without a single lie.
“This is…….I think it’s a matter that I have to report to the Emperor.”
The Wizard of the Imperial Palace left those words behind and reported it to the Emperor.
Soon after, it was told to the Emperor that the Fifth Prince led the Imperial Army deep into the Black Mountains, because of this news the Imperial Palace was in turmoil.
The Fifth Prince did something that neither the aggressive First Prince would do.
Some aristocrats immediately voiced the need to march northern central forces into the Black mountain in order to rescue the Fifth Prince, but the Emperor had no choice but to refuse.
“If we advance the Northern Central, we will not be able to avoid war. It’s hard to step up patrols on the border and do anything more than send a small number of combat troops to the Black Mountains.”
His words was tantamount to abandoning the Fifth Prince. The Emperor spoke with a calm voice, but his heart was breaking.
* * *
The Black Mountains, was having a silent battlefield. It was also affected by the Demilitarized Treaty, which promised not to station troops with the Pilias Empire.
Although there was no official military presence, currently the Black Mountains was a battlefield.
The Pilias and the Tree Kingdom Alliance secretly stationed troops in the Black Mountains.
A large-scale military presence was impossible due to a group of black mountain ranges, but one day a brigade-sized military base began to emerge from small combat units.
“It’s very interesting that the Demilitarized Treaty allows for a military presence aimed at stamping out the Bandits. But they are the one who sent out the mercenaries to cause trouble for the Pilias…….”
Cron, the eldest son of Marquis Crayer and commander of the border army, said in a calm, angry voice.
His gaze was on the back of the soldiers recovering the body. Just by looking at him, I could see how much Cron cared about his men.
“How long is it until we reach the temporary base?”
“Two more days to go.”
This was a battlefield. Raymond, who knows well that he can’t afford to feel sad, changed the subject.
Cron, too, shook his head because he knew it well.
Two days. Things will not go smoothly at their march in the Black Mountains in this two days.
The mercenaries of the Fresyria had such a strong grip on the land that it was safe to say that they were the true owners of the Black Mountains, they were the main obstacle of their march.
“Me and the Imperial Army will also join you in the temporary base.”
“The Black Mountains is too dangerous for your highness, the Fifth Prince.”
“I came here according to the order of the Emperor. Are saying I am going to disobey the Emperor?”
“Oh, no…….”
No one in the Pilias could refute the words “Imperial Order”.
Sure enough, Cron had to shut up when Raymond mentioned it.
At heart, her wanted to guide Raymond to a safer border right away, but now that the Imperial Order was brought out, he have no choice but to be together.
‘I heard that Fifth Prince was a coward and a scoundrel…….’
Considering the image of the Fifth Prince, who commanded the battlefield a while ago, he thought that the rumor of the capital’s defeat of the Dark Emperor might not be exaggerated or false rumors.
However, from Cron’s point of view, Raymond’s joining was burdensome.
It’s not a common battlefield, it’s a black mountain range where they don’t know what’s going to happen. However, the only guards are the Imperial Army, the Fifth Prince’s Shadow Squad, and the heavily damaged infantry.
In fact, one infantry unit is the main power. The thought of commanding them to protect the Fifth Prince forced Cron to bear the sighs.
“The Fifth Prince is with us!”
“To this dangerous place for us!”
It was fortunate that the morale of knights and soldiers were sky-high. Of course, at the heart of the incitement was the Imperial Army.
“Sir Cron.”
“Yes, go ahead. Your highness the Fifth.”
“I know how you feel.”
“The worst you are thinking of will never happen. I assure you.”
His voice was full of confidence.
Even the most nervous knight was assured at his words.
Cron’s mind moved a little when he heard him.
“I will do my best to support you.” Cron answered, bowing his head, holding his weakened heart together for a moment.
Now that Imperial has brought out, they cannot disobey it. If they can’t send the Fifth Prince back, they have no choice but to join him.
A voice of determination rang softly.
“I think we’re almost done picking up the pieces, so let’s move the army.”
“Yes, Your Highness the Fifth.”
The Imperial Army moved again. They took a minimum of rest and busily moved on for a day.
Because it was a terrain where cavalry were not easy to move, the Fifth Prince, Raymond, also got off the horse and moved with the soldiers.
The knights of the Imperial Army and the members of the Shadow Squad, who saw the scene, also voluntarily got off the horse.
The Master of the Red Tower also got off, and the Master of the Blue Tower was lowered himself from the horse with a short sigh. How much longer did they have to walk?
“The Fifth Prince, we’re in the same boat right now.”
Berenus Kyle, the master of the Red Tower said to him.
When Raymond nodded, Berenus opened his mouth to give a supplementary explanation.
“I feel like we are in the Path of the forgotten.”
The Red Tower Master continued to explain, but Raymond’s mind was somewhere else.
Knowing the setting of the novel, Raymond closed his ears and organized his thoughts because he didn’t want to listen.
The Path of the Forgotten.
In ancient times, the land of knights was forgotten without a name because they fought most valiantly to overthrow a beast. And…….
‘It’s also where the Soul Sword is asleep.’
It must have been pretty hard to find it on purpose, but he was lucky.
* * *
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