LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 158
– 1 –
‘It’s fun, but not enough.’
Having died once and come back, Arpina was starving for deeper and more intense pleasure.
“It’s back again…!”
“How are you alive?!”
“The Dream Witch has returned…!!”
The northern part of the continent was once more engulfed in terror.
A witch that had been captured and executed by Abelrus had seemingly resurrected as an immortal being.
Few noticed that her appearance had changed, and many proverbs about witches began to refer to the ‘Dream Witch’ during this time.
But perhaps it was a result of experiencing the ultimate power.
‘More… make me feel more pleasure.’
She began to seek people’s dreams and memories again, but it was different this time.
She craved an even more intense and deeper climax.
Not just the memory itself, but the pleasure that came from savoring memories and destruction.
She couldn’t admit to herself that she was like that, so she deceived herself with a different purpose.
“With the power of the Duke of the Magical Realm… I could get revenge on Abelrus.”
‘And if that pleasure comes from gaining that power…!’
Her inner self was secretly changing, but she herself was unaware of it.
Before long, her dreams and obsessions regarding ‘perfection’ began to fade away.
As if she had left those behind with her executed former body.
– 2 –
“Phew…”
On the morning of November 9, 214.
In the northwestern part of the Ironfield Outskirts Duke Territory, busy movements were observed near the border castle set up in the Pondon Forest.
From early morning, people began to gather one by one.
At first glance, they seemed like ordinary travelers, hunters, mercenaries, or adventurers, but the equipment they pulled from the prepared carts was extraordinary.
Clank!
With a heavy sound, the noise of metal clashing continued.
Those who donned all their gear emerged from the shadows of the forest.
Men and women of all ages had transformed into heavily armored knights clad in plate mail.
Their attendants busily adjusted their armor or strapped their weapons to their armor.
“Is everyone ready?”
As the voice of the knight, who seemed to be the leader, echoed, his subordinates immediately replied.
“All 13 knights are present.”
“Let’s go.”
Clank—
Puhihihng!
The sound of steel grinding and the cries of horses.
Though they tried to minimize the noise, the many movements inevitably made the quiet forest noisy.
At first, there was only one knight order, but as time passed, more soldiers appeared from various parts of the forest, and some brought additional hidden horses to hand over to the knights.
Thus, when they arrived at the border region outside the forest, they had formed an army.
“…”
There, a single knight was already standing.
A woman fully clad in black plate mail.
“… I hope.”
Her brown hair fluttered in the blowing wind, and between the strands, a faint black color shimmered.
She stood with her forehead resting on her spear, eyes closed.
In the early dawn, before the sun had fully risen, the sight of the female knight leaking black magic from all over her body looked like a goddess of the battlefield revealing herself from darkness.
‘So captivating…’
‘She has become so beautiful, unlike before.’
‘Is she possibly crying…?’
The knights who approached close behind the female knight felt an indescribable sadness from her figure.
As if she were fragile enough to collapse at any moment, drowning in deep sorrow.
Her delicate and slender form strengthened that impression even more.
But the knights who were trying to approach her soon realized they had misjudged.
“Grant us victory.”
The prayer that came from her lips was harder than steel.
The knights, who had approached prematurely to comfort her, immediately knelt and thrust their weapons into the ground.
“May the blessings of the gods be upon us.”
“Grant us the strength to enact justice.”
The knights also began to pray for victory, following her lead.
A prayer to the divine lord proclaimed by the holy kingdom.
‘O great master that rules over all on the continent.’
However, the one the female knight in black armor prayed to was an entirely different existence.
Her prayer was not directed to the celestial deity governing the continent or the Demon Lord ruling all demon clans, but solely to one person.
‘Lady Libertus.’
Her only master whom she served.
Only that person occupied the divine throne in her heart.
“…”
Phew…
As she opened her eyes in silence, she gazed at her spear.
The black halberd howled, responding to the surge of murderous intent and greed swirling in her heart.
The spear, ‘Griever’s Devourer.’
A demonic weapon that grows by devouring its master’s sorrows and returning some of its power back to the master.
It was one of the powers her master had granted her.
This demonic weapon filled the gap of her insufficient power.
Thanks to that, she was expected to stand shoulder to shoulder with famous knights of Reinhardt and the Outskirts Duke Territory in the near future.
‘That evaluation is still too much for me.’
At the same time, it was something that would surely become a reality.
Under the will of the great master who seeks to possess everything, nothing would remain unachieved.
“Report on the numbers.”
Elena finally turned her body and spoke.
As the cold morning air sliced through, the heavy voices of the commanders echoed quietly.
“13th Iron Rose Knights. We have arrived.”
The first one to report was a female knight wearing armor bearing the emblem of a gray rose.
A special organization centered around female knights. One of the elite knight orders renowned even in Ironfield.
“14th Black Iron Knights. All present and accounted for.”
Next, the commander of the knight order, bearing a black shield as a crest, bowed and spoke.
Their armor, like Elena’s, was also black, and they were a secretive knight order handling dirty work on the front lines.
“8th White Lion Knights. Present here.”
The commander in a helmet adorned with decorations reminiscent of a white lion’s mane finished the report.
‘Excellent. As expected.’
The pride of Ironfield, the Iron Lion Knights.
They were composed of a total of 18 subordinate knight orders.
Moreover, each knight order was a perfectly organized military unit, complete with knights, attendants, and administrative officers dedicated to that specific order.
Although there was a slight exaggeration regarding their prowess, the internal evaluation of the Outskirts Duke Territory stated that even a single knight order could conquer a small castle.
Elena received a document from the adjutant assigned by the Outskirts Duke and carefully examined it.
‘More than 180 knights when counting only those above standard…’
The title of ‘official knight’ was not something anyone could obtain.
It could only be earned at least at the level of a proficient upper-class knight.
Moreover, counting those above that, there were more than twenty powerful knights, including the leaders of each order, who were stronger than her.
When adding in novice knights, attendants, and regular cavalry, the total number of cavalry exceeded 1,000.
All of them were exceptional talents who would easily qualify for advanced rankings if they registered with the adventurers’ guild.
But there were certainly also issues.
‘Each faction is distinct.’
The 8th knight order supported Reinhardt, the second son and heir apparent, while the 13th knight order sided with Adelaide, the first daughter. The 14th knight order had yet to decide which successor to follow.
And the respective strengths of the knight orders were nearly equal.
Everyone was well aware of the significance of this operation, so factional conflicts were unlikely to arise.
The formidable charisma of the Outskirts Duke was what kept them united before any heir dispute could occur.
‘This must have been deliberately arranged.’
But this was also a restraint.
The reason for siding with Adelaide was to check Reinhardt, but now that was impossible.
At least, not by her hand.
‘Right. Not by my hand.’
A faint smile lingered on Elena’s lips.
The battlefield is an unpredictable place. No one knows what events might transpire.
In her mind, thoughts of her other forces were brewing.
‘The infantry,’ and matters regarding her master’s support.
“Gentlemen.”
Thud!
As Elena’s low voice resonated, only the knights at the forefront responded with a stomp of their feet to avoid detection by enemy scouts.
A heavy rumble shattered the early morning silence.
Standing atop the hill, Elena raised Griever’s Devourer and struck it down to the ground.
Thung -!
In that moment, the black aura pouring from the spear enveloped the surroundings.
The knights thought to themselves. It was a color that suited Ironfield perfectly.
“Just this past dawn, those audacious United Kingdom fools crossed our border and harmed our kin.”
Woooooo…!
Her magic resonated with her voice, and Griever’s Devourer gave a howl.
In that moment, everything around fell into silence.
The forest’s birds, the wild beasts, even the sounds of insects.
As if they were all aware of the shadow of death looming.
Swooosh!
From the spear tip, a black smoke rose that only Elena could see.
The spear absorbed the surrounding sorrow and then exhaled its battle intent.
Unknowingly, the knights who received that power focused their gazes on her.
“Do you hear it?”
Feeling the rising battle intent around them, Elena whispered in a low voice.
“The screams and tears of our kin who cannot see.”
Her calm voice pierced the ears of the knights.
Everyone present shared the same thought.
That the sorrow contained within her calm voice stirred up even deeper anger.
It would have been a sentiment that would have made her laugh if she had heard it.
Right now, in her heart, the mass of sorrow was incredibly small.
For it was overshadowed by the blazing ambition and resolve that were far too great.
“Today. We. From now on.”
Lowering her spear, she calmly yet passionately emphasized each word.
“We go to show those audacious United Kingdom fools what for.”
“Oooh…!”
“Those filthy bastards…!”
Shouts filled with anger erupted from some knights who were less trained.
Elena’s speech resonated in their hearts, and the gentle aura of sorrow she radiated—the captivating essence of the Banshee of Sorrow melted away the boundaries between reason and emotion.
Whether male or female, old or young.
Everyone present was captivated by her gaze.
“O men of Kaisen. Sons of Ironfield.”
Once again, Elena’s voice reverberated in their spirits.
“Are you prepared? To make our enemies weep and tremble in fear.”
Thud -!!
As over a thousand troops stomped their feet in unison, the sound echoed through the forest like thunder.
“Then let us go. Heroes of Kaisen.”
Raising her spear, Elena pointed towards the other side of the border.
“To those fools of Zenota, who first invaded and dare to pretend they don’t know.”
The tip of her spear accurately aimed at the Leganon Castle of the Driadz Duke Territory.
“… Let us show our fury.”
The trading post with Kaisen and the first target of the war she was about to commence.
“Advance!”
– Advance…!
– Let’s go!
The command was passed from mouth to mouth.
The sound of iron grinding and the cries of horses began to resonate.
Listening to it, Elena mounted her trusty steed.
Rumble…!
Her warhorse was also no ordinary creature.
This beast, raised on the blood of monsters, had fiery energy flowing from its red eyes.
More astute and stronger than any horse on this land, this creature was yet another power bestowed by her master.
[The knights embody the pinnacle of violence that occurs in battle. I look forward to the day you are called the flying general, Elena.]
Recalling her master’s words with reverence, Elena tied her dark brown hair high and donned her helmet.
From the outside, her face was completely hidden, but on the inside, magic rendered the front of the helmet transparent, providing perfect visibility.
Clunk!
As she raised her spear, the ready knights and soldiers also lifted their weapons.
The army began to march forward.
Though they initially advanced in a hurry to conserve strength, the moment the enemy castle came into sight, they would charge towards the gates without hesitation.
That was.
‘Soldiers destined to bring victory for me… and for my master.’
A scene unfolded before Elena’s eyes.
In the past, she would have imagined herself sitting on her father’s throne or bearing the seal of the Outskirts Duke.
But now, she envisioned herself kneeling while adorned with a ceremonial sword in front of her master. Above her head rested a crown signifying a human king.
That was the ultimate point towards which her ambitions were directed.