Chapter 119: What on earth are we dealing with?

Early morning, on the sandy beach near Mudside.

All of the Daphne Knights were gathered at the spot where Respiro’s training had previously taken place.

— Assemble at the beach early tomorrow morning.

That was Hardin’s order from the night before, telling them to gather here.

Because of that, everyone had woken up at the crack of dawn and was now killing time at the beach.

If there was something a bit unusual...

“Ah, there. A bit lower, yeah.”

“Here? Or here?”

“Just a bit more, that’s it. That’s the spot. Press harder.”

Mikkelsen, looking completely exhausted, was firmly massaging Beryl’s shoulders as he sat slumped on the ground. And the other knights weren’t in much better condition.

“So tired...”

“Phew...”

Everyone was twisting their bodies in all sorts of ways to stretch, or pounding their limbs with their fists, acting like old men with stiff backs.

At that moment, Mikkelsen let out a heavy sigh and muttered.

“What on earth is the Young Master thinking?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, come on. We could go to war with the Count of Tread’s house any moment now... Why are we suddenly fixing ships and hauling steel plates?”

Beryl scratched his head for a moment, then turned to look at the ships docked on the opposite side of the shore.

He could still see the carpenters clinging to them, busily working on repairs.

“Uuugh... I don’t really know either.”

For the past few days, the Daphne Viscounty had been running around without a moment’s rest.

It felt like they were on the brink of a desperate battle, and the knights naturally assumed they’d be given important missions—but what they’d actually been doing for days was...

— Go bring 50 more steel plates!

— F-Fifty more?

— Hurry!

— Hey, help me lift this onto the other side.

— Hrrrgh!

They’d spent the entire day hauling steel plates larger than a human body to help the carpenters, acting like human cranes so the plates could be easily attached to the ships.

Because of that, they were now suffering from muscle pain like hell.

‘If we really do end up fighting, I doubt that’s going to be much help...’

‘What does any of this even mean?’

Just as everyone was making faces full of doubt—

Thunk!

A foot landed right beside Beryl, and a deep voice followed.

“All of this is probably part of the Young Master’s plan.”

“...Huh?”

The two of them looked up to see Squad Leader Manton standing there with his arms crossed and a serious expression on his face.

Mikkelsen twitched his eyebrows and asked with a mocking tone.

“Then what plan is that? If you know something, care to share with the rest of us?”

"That’s…"

Everyone’s eyes turned to him.

"That’s?"

Manton’s face showed a slightly troubled expression before he lowered his gaze and spoke.

"...I don’t really know either."

"You don’t? If you don’t know, then what do you mean it has meaning?"

"But it’s something the Young Master is doing, so I’m sure there’s meaning behind it! Hasn’t it always been that way with everything until now?"

When Manton shouted while clenching his fist tightly, Mikkelsen shook his head.

‘This guy’s a serious case too...’

Ever since Grand Young Master Hardin restored Mudside, anything that happened, this guy would always end with, ‘There must be some meaning behind it’... It’s like talking to a wall.

He’d probably follow him straight to hell if told to.

As Mikkelsen’s face took on a look of subtle pity,

Flinch!

Manton furrowed his brow and shouted.

"Why, why are you looking at me like that?"

"What, me? I was just looking, that’s all."

Of course, Mikkelsen only shrugged and played it off.

At that moment, Beryl, who had been quietly watching the two as if even speaking was exhausting, suddenly interrupted and asked.

"Hey, enough with the pointless chatter. Let me ask you something, Sir Manton."

"What is it?"

"Those guys from the Count of Tread’s house—just how strong are they?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, sure, I’ve heard all the rumors about how they’re the strongest in Luden Shire or whatever… but is it really something to make this much fuss over?"

Manton furrowed his brow and answered.

"Are you asking because you don’t know?"

"If I knew, would I be asking? We’re just… I mean, we’re former mercs, so we don’t keep up with the news from the noble houses."

"..."

Manton looked unsure how to explain it, then dropped his shoulders and replied.

"In terms of population alone, their territory easily has five times more people than ours. The size of their land is proportional to that too."

"Five times?"

"That’s damn huge. Then their number of conscripts must be insane..."

As the Maw squad members murmured in surprise, Manton continued speaking.

"Yeah. But the sheer number of heads won’t matter much in this fight."

"Huh? Why’s that?"

"Because they’ll be invading by sea. No matter how big the Tread fleet is, they’ll only bring the elite, the ones they’ve carefully selected."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"Maybe it won’t be as hopeless a fight as we thought."

When a few of them reacted nonchalantly, Manton furrowed his brow tightly and said,

"Not as hopeless… We’ll be going up against the Anvil Knight Order of the Count of Tread."

"Why? What’s so special about that knight order?"

"They have around a hundred knights. Every single one of them is at least a 2-star rank."

At Manton’s words, every single member of the Maw squad dropped their jaws in shock.

"All of them are 2-star?"

"...That’s insane."

Some of the men had even begun trembling already.

Manton continued, arms crossed.

"Not only that, the unit commanders of the Anvil Knight Order are all at least 3-star knights. Including their lord, Count Vernian… there are a total of five 3-star knights."

"..."

Cold sweat began forming on the foreheads of everyone, who were struck speechless in shock.

‘Five 3-star knights?’

‘And we’re supposed to fight them?’

A 3-star knight.

A level only attainable when one’s mana control, expanded mana circuits, and advanced weapon mastery all come together in perfect harmony.

They might be called 3-star, but nine out of ten mana users never reach that level no matter how long they train throughout their lives.

Anyone at that level could easily be appointed as a knight commander in most noble houses, and could single-handedly wipe out a tribe of those notoriously savage orcs... they were, quite literally, “weapons of war.”

And there were four of them, plus nearly a hundred 2-star knights?

Beryl blinked with a dazed expression and asked Manton,

"We’re… supposed to fight a house like that?"

"Yes."

When Manton nodded, Beryl opened and closed his mouth before shouting.

"N-No... that’s practically suicide! This is insane—what are we even doing!"

Even if they counted every knight from the Maw squad and Jellyfish unit, they only totaled thirty-four.

And even adding in the mana users—Hardin, the Lord, former Commander Mulgybson, and Malion—it still wouldn’t even reach forty.

The real problem was that the vast majority were only 1-star, and even counting Beryl and Manton, they had just five 2-star knights.

And in this state, they were supposed to fight the Count of Tread’s forces?

‘It’s like throwing an egg at a boulder. No, at least if you throw an egg, it makes a splat… but this is just…’

The knights, especially the Maw squad members, were all turning pale.

They’d expected a difference in strength going up against a count’s house, but…

Now that they’d heard the exact numbers from Manton, all their fighting spirit was vanishing.

“B-Beryl hyung, this can’t be right, can it?”

“No, this… we need to find another way, not fight!”

The Maw squad members swarmed around Beryl, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him.

As Beryl was being shaken left and right with a vacant look on his face, Squad Leader Manton let out a snort and said,

“We can definitely win.”

“Huh? What did you just say...?”

“I said we can definitely win.”

“How? You just said all that… did you already forget?”

Mikkelsen made a spinning motion next to his head with a finger as he spoke, but Manton shook his head and replied,

“This fight isn’t a full-scale war. It’s a defensive battle to block their landing on the coast. And in that case... of course, the defenders have a massive advantage.”

“No, even so, with this kind of power gap…”

“And besides, didn’t Princess Medeia also promise her support?”

Beryl and Mikkelsen’s eyes immediately shifted.

“Support from Her Highness?”

“How much support are we talking about?”

“I don’t know the exact number either. But I’m certain it’ll be a considerable force. You know better than anyone how skilled the Princess and her escort knights are, don’t you?”

“Ah…”

At that moment, everyone recalled the image of Princess Medeia and Lieutenant Benjamin, along with the knights they saw back in the Ruslan Mountains.

‘Those people… were no joke.’

‘Even among them, there were a few 3-star knights, rare as they are.’

The Princess and her knights had sliced through the endlessly advancing monsters at the snowy fortress without even blinking an eye.

If all of them joined our house for this fight—

No, even if just half of them lent their strength—

And if we add the situational advantage of defending the coastline...

‘This might actually be doable...?’

‘No, maybe we even have the upper hand.’

The faces of the Maw mercenaries, who had looked like they were on death’s door just moments ago, suddenly brightened as if nothing had happened.

Then—

“Ohoho! The Young Master had a plan all along!”

“Right? There’s no way he’d enter a battle he can’t win. Isn’t that right?”

Everyone looked relieved, letting out sighs of relief or scratching their heads awkwardly.

Seeing this, Manton narrowed his eyes, shook his head, and said,

“So trust in the Young Master and wait. I’m sure he’s working with the big picture in mind.”

“Of course, you’re right.”

“Hahaha, Squad Leader Manton. You’ve got a good eye for reading the situation, huh?”

Beryl and Mikkelsen answered with grins, exchanging words with each other.

Just as the tension was finally beginning to ease—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble, and they could feel the sand shifting beneath them.

“W-What’s that?”

“An earthquake?”

Could it be another tsunami? Or…

Everyone looked around nervously.

“Th-There!”

One of the knights pointed in a direction with a trembling finger.

Everyone’s gaze turned toward the direction being pointed at.

“Huh?”

“Is that...?”

Once again, everyone’s jaws dropped.

Even more than before.

Because...

Screeeech!

“Move it, quickly!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In the distance... a massive Cockatrice was charging straight toward them—with Hardin riding on its head.

“Th-The Young Master?”

“What the hell is that…?”

Everyone stared in stunned disbelief as the scene unfolded before their eyes.

Screeeech!

The Cockatrice, now right in front of them, let out a scream that was more like a shriek and lunged at the knights.

“G-Get out of the way!”

“Hiiieeek!”

The knights hastily flung themselves aside and rolled across the ground.

Hardin yanked on the Cockatrice’s feathers.

Shaaaa!

Screeeeech!

The Cockatrice came to a sudden halt, skidding forward dozens of meters from the momentum alone.

Seeing the sand gouged out by its landing, the knights gulped.

‘That thing almost... ran us over.’

‘Why did he bring that monster here…?’

Everyone stared in bewilderment, tilting their heads as Hardin patted the Cockatrice on the side and shouted,

“Hey! Get on!”

“Huh? What do you mean...?”

“All of you—climb up on this thing. Not a single one left behind.”

...What kind of nonsense is this now?

The knights’ eyes went wide like full moons.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.