It is going to be really exciting. (2)
Not long after the Marquis of Falkenheim's envoy had left, new information arrived.
"Oh, we finally have a response. The Lord Castle of Crest County is inviting us to a victory banquet. They want to conclude discussions about the distribution there."
Andrew handed Ghislain the letter from Count Swipel. He had kept making excuses, and only now, months after the war had ended, did he finally send a reply.
Amusingly enough, Count Swipel had already occupied all the key locations of Crest County. He only reached out after securing the Lord Castle.
By this point, Andrew and Rio couldn't help but feel uneasy.
"He deliberately took over the entire territory before contacting us. Why would he do that?"
"Could he be trying to claim everything for himself?"
"That wouldn’t work..."
It was impossible to take Crest County without confronting the Yulian Mercenaries. However, Count Swipel lacked the strength for such a battle.
Even aside from the Yulian Mercenaries, Nordhill and Lacus had already accepted prisoners, making their forces surpass Swipel’s.
And yet, Swipel had seized all the major locations before sending a message, making the situation highly suspicious.
"Could he have another way of claiming the Crest territory?"
At Andrew’s question, Ghislain nodded.
"He must have found a way to deal with us."
"Hmm, even if he fights, we’d still win, wouldn’t we?"
"Exactly. He can't match us in an open war anymore. That’s why he must have devised some sort of scheme."
"What kind of scheme?"
"He likely received knights from Marquis Falkenheim. The plan is to assassinate our leaders during the banquet."
As Ghislain explained, Andrew quickly grasped the situation and exploded in anger.
"That cowardly bastard! Worse than a damn duck!"
He already knew that someone from Marquis Falkenheim had approached the Yulian Mercenaries. And he also knew that Ghislain had rejected their offer.
Now, Count Swipel was inviting them to discuss the territory’s distribution. The odds of him plotting something were too high.
It was an obvious setup, but a troublesome one. If they refused to go, Swipel would just settle in and refuse to budge.
"What should we do? We can’t go in person... Should we just give up the land?"
"Why give it up? The Marquis Falkenheim will attack us sooner or later anyway."
He would use avenging his vassal as a justification to raise an army. They could wait and fight then, but Ghislain preferred offense over defense.
"It’s better to go now and reduce their forces as much as possible. They must have sent elite knights. And we can deal with Count Swipel while we're at it."
"Hmm, in that case, shouldn’t we pull back our forces first and demand he vacate the land? If he refuses, we can start a full-scale war."
"That would take too long and be a hassle. If we go there ourselves, they’ll definitely pick a fight. Then we can settle it immediately."
"...Can that really work?"
Andrew asked the same question again. No matter how often he saw it, Ghislain’s methods were always reckless.
But he had to admit—despite being rough, Ghislain had solved every problem so far.
Ghislain grinned as usual.
"Of course. I don’t fight battles I can’t win."
If victory wasn’t certain, he would retreat and build up strength instead. He never jumped into a fight unprepared. That was his principle.
Andrew and Rio nodded grimly. They had no choice anyway.
If the Yulian Mercenaries were wiped out, they were finished too. All they could do was follow Ghislain and pray for his victory.
Ghislain turned to the other executives.
"This time, we’re heading straight into enemy territory. It’ll be a good experience. Anyone scared?"
Deneb immediately raised her hand.
“.........”
Ghislain was speechless at her honesty. It was natural for Deneb to be worried—her skills weren’t quite there yet.
‘Damn, she needs to awaken already.’
If she did, no one would be able to touch her. But since they still didn’t know how to trigger it, Ghislain could only feel frustrated.
Still, she wasn’t the type to stop just because someone was scared.
“...Everyone else is fine, right?"
Tyrann glanced around, gauging the reactions. Kyle also hesitated, their eyes meeting awkwardly.
"Ahem... I’m not scared."
"...Me neither."
Anyone could see they were a little nervous. Even though they were among the strongest in the region, facing the knights of Marquis Falkenheim was daunting.
But their pride wouldn’t let them admit it. While they held out, Yulian spoke calmly.
"If that’s the best course of action, then let’s do it."
"As expected of our captain."
Ghislain nodded in satisfaction. Yulian was growing far faster than he had anticipated.
Kyle and Tyran pouted. Now they looked like the only cowards.
Meanwhile, Osval hesitantly spoke up.
"Boss, uh… I haven’t seen my parents in a long time. I should probably visit my hometown..."
"Alright, so no one's backing out. Let's head to Swipel's territory and settle this."
With that, everyone was dragged along, whether they liked it or not. Andrew and Rio led the territorial forces as well.
***
Count Swipel greeted them with great enthusiasm.
"Haha, welcome! I had so much work to do that my invitation was delayed. Now, come inside, enjoy the banquet, and let’s finalize our discussions."
The mercenaries and troops set up camp near the lord’s castle. Thousands of soldiers meant tents sprawled in every direction.
Count Swipel discreetly observed the Nordhill and Lacus forces.
‘These bastards… They’ve already absorbed the prisoners? Fools. All they’ve done is increase their numbers, not their cohesion.’
He smirked inwardly. They must have taken in prisoners, but it was pointless.
His side still held more of the captured soldiers. If a fight broke out, their forces would collapse in no time. And once the leaders were eliminated, he could persuade them all to switch sides.
‘The prisoners will waver and defect. After all, Marquis Falkenheim is backing me.’
Count Swipel was convinced his plan would succeed.
‘But… why do they all look so pissed? Did something bad happen to them? That should be good for me, though…’
For some reason, the troops had an unusually sharp aura. Their movements were precise and disciplined.
It was impossible for them to have unified so quickly, yet the atmosphere was strangely intense.
‘They look like they need to vent their anger…’
If they were dissatisfied, it would only make persuading them easier. Nordhill and Lacus must not be treating them well.
Count Swipel dismissed his concerns. As long as he eliminated the leaders, the soldiers would surrender soon enough.
Although they had gathered to discuss postwar arrangements, the event was also a victory banquet. Even the waiting soldiers were provided with alcohol and meat.
Just as they were about to enter, Andrew spoke with an awkward expression.
"I was in such a rush to get here that I forgot to give orders to the commanders. Please go ahead without me. I’ll be inside shortly."
Rio, too, looked a bit uncomfortable.
"I also forgot something. I left a gift for the Count behind. I’ll fetch it and return soon."
Before Count Swipel could respond, Ghislain interjected.
"Go on, then. The captain and I will start the conversation with the Count while you take care of that."
At those words, Count Swipel chuckled.
"Haha, take your time. The banquet is long. Shall we head in first?"
And so, only Ghislain, Yulian, and Kyle followed Count Swipel inside, while Deneb and Tyrann remained outside to oversee the mercenaries.
Upon entering the banquet hall, a peculiar atmosphere hung in the air. Ghislain scanned the room.
Everyone was dressed in lavish attire, yet something felt off. They were all staring at his group expressionlessly.
Count Swipel forced a chuckle.
"Haha, these are the neighboring nobles and military commanders. A banquet isn’t lively if there are too few people, so I invited them."
"Is that so?"
Ghislain smirked. For a gathering of nobles, the expressions were far too stiff.
Even the servants guiding them to their seats and serving food exuded an unnaturally sharp aura.
The suffocating atmosphere lingered. At a banquet, people should be chatting and laughing, yet none of that was happening.
Still forcing a smile, Count Swipel raised his glass.
"Come now, let's have a drink. Alcohol loosens the mood and helps people bond, don't you think?"
Everyone simultaneously lifted their cups and drank.
Except for Ghislain’s group.
Noticing this, Count Swipel jokingly remarked,
"What’s the matter? Worried I might have poisoned it? We all drank, didn’t we?"
Without a word, Ghislain tilted his cup, letting the liquor spill onto the floor.
The sound of liquid hitting the ground echoed sharply.
Then, he simply let go of the cup.
Clang!
The glass shattered against the floor.
That was the only sound in the entire banquet hall.
Despite the number of people present, absolute silence loomed. Everyone's eyes were locked on Ghislain and his companions.
It was unnerving—too unnerving. This wasn’t a banquet.
Ghislain fixed his gaze on Count Swipel and spoke.
"No need to keep up this bad acting."
"........"
"How about we get straight to the point? We already know everything. And honestly, this pathetic poison wouldn't even affect us."
".......Hahaha."
Count Swipel’s shoulders shook as he let out a low chuckle.
It was true—his approach had been rather blatant.
Yet he found it fascinating. These men had knowingly walked into a trap, displaying unwavering confidence.
Count Swipel looked Ghislain straight in the eye.
"So, you figured we couldn't take you down with our forces? That’s why you walked into this trap so willingly?"
"You laid out the perfect opportunity. Why refuse? This way, I get to take Swipel County with ease."
"Khahaha… You never considered that I set this up because I am ready to take you down?"
Count Swipel’s confidence was brimming.
Ghislain, however, merely scoffed.
"That’s the usual mistake people make. They assume they understand our capabilities. They think they’ve made the perfect countermeasure based on that assumption."
His voice dropped, filled with amusement.
"And do you know what happened to those people?"
"What happened to them?"
Ghislain raised his staff forward.
"They all died."
"......."
"If you have more men to call in, do it now. If this is all you’ve got, I’ll be disappointed."
Despite the over 50 armed men already in the hall, Ghislain found their numbers lacking.
Count Swipel's expression hardened. He had prepared thoroughly, yet he felt himself being overwhelmed by Ghislain’s confidence.
"Fine… Let’s see how long that arrogance lasts."
At his signal, doors around the banquet hall swung open, and armored knights poured in.
They distributed swords, shields, and spears to those already inside. These so-called nobles and commanders had actually been knights in disguise.
With both the knights of Marquis Falkenheim and Count Swipel’s own, the total force exceeded 100 men.
The moment they unleashed their collective fighting spirit, a crushing pressure bore down on Ghislain, Yulian, and Kyle.
Yet Ghislain, unfazed, merely raised an eyebrow.
"As expected, this era has plenty of strong men."
Just at a glance, most of them were high-level knights. A few were even among the strongest of their kind.
With this many, they could easily take down a single superhuman warrior.
Their confidence was understandable.
After all, Ghislain wasn’t at his full strength—he wasn’t at his complete superhuman level.
But there was one thing they had miscalculated.
"You made the mistake of thinking I’m just a superhuman."
Ghislain's power exceeded the limits of a normal superhuman. He was someone who could bend impossibility through sheer force of will.
Drdrdrdr…
From within Ghislain’s own body, his mana began reconfiguring.
The rearranged energy formed artificial cores in three locations throughout his body.
Drdrdrdr…
As soon as the first core activated, mana funneled into it and started rotating. Then, the energy from that core flowed into a second, spinning even faster.
By the time the third core formed, his mana had multiplied exponentially.
While not as refined as the core he originally built within himself, Ghislain’s transcendent mastery compensated for any inefficiencies.
BOOM!
His unleashed aura surged outward, overwhelming the entire room.
The 100 knights, who had just exuded their own battle spirit, instinctively flinched and took a step back.
Ghislain grinned savagely and lowered his stance.
"One hundred, huh? This is going to be fun."
FWOOSH!
A fiery red light flared in his eyes.
Superrbbb
Superrbbb
This horse is insane lol
Why are comments not chapter specific smh
Best novel EVER
Great novel! Already caught up completely. Just wish it would get more updates compared to the other novels on here.