Chapter 92
The dungeons within the Sanctuary weren’t just monster-infested lairs.
“Waaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”
Otto’s eyes snapped open at the roar.
He was in the middle of a battlefield.
Large armies were clashing against each other in a bloody battle.
The noise of screams, cheers, and the clash of weapons against weapons….
“Kill them!”
“Kill the barbarians!”
Amidst all the noise, this was a fierce battlefield where life and death were in constant flux.
The battle was between the Imperial Army of the Continent and the barbarian tribes that had made the great migration from the north.
The Imperials, with their heavily armored knights and well-trained soldiers, faced off against the barbarians.
The barbarian tribes, on the other hand, were vastly superior in numbers.
They outnumbered the Imperial army by a factor of five, and their numbers were staggering.
Seeing the barbarian tribes pushing in endlessly from almost beyond the horizon, Otto felt as if no one would blame him if he ran for cover.
This battle was a realization of a real event that happened a long time ago.
Approximately 1,100 years ago.
The northern barbarian Scythians invaded the continent, ravaging the borders of what was then the great Caiman Empire.
The Scythians then descended southward at a fearsome pace, wiping out the Caiman army and dividing the empire.
It was one of the most important battles of the war, and one in which the Imperial Army suffered a devastating defeat.
Although the record is not exactly accurate..
*Beep!*
A Quest Window appeared.
[Victory is the only way to survive]
Content: Win the battle.
Progress : 0% (0/1)
Reward: The Power of the Invincible Emperor
Note: If you lose the battle, you will die at the hands of the barbarians.
‘Losing means real death.’
Otto knew all too well that if he didn’t complete this quest, he would die.
Back when he was playing the game, he couldn’t tell you how many times he had to retry to win this battle.
‘It must have been like 200 attempts?’
‘Heck, I didn’t keep track, but it must have been that many attempts.’
That’s how hard it was to win this battle.
It was really hard to win this battle, because there was so much difficulty in figuring out how to do it, it was like banging one’s head against the wall.
But Otto figured it out after over 200 attempts, so there was no need to worry.
He simply had to fight well….
‘Let’s go.’
Otto grabbed his sword and started running towards his destination.
* * *
Meanwhile, Conrad was grilling Camille about everything that had happened.
He wanted to know everything that had been going on with Otto, every single detail.
By nature, Conrad was a cold-blooded man who would not recognize a person, no matter how closely they were related, if they were not competent, let alone if they did not live up to his standards he would not hesitate to cast them out.
But even the bloodless Conrad, now in his old age, had softened considerably.
He was suddenly filled with regret that his beloved wife had left him, and that his daughter, whom he had shunned himself, was no longer of this world.
But after the arrival of Otto, his only blood grandson, he became a much different man.
In the midst of a political crisis under the pressure of his half-brother Javier, Otto’s comet-like arrival was a welcome ray of sunshine in Conrad’s otherwise bleak and frosted life.
The mere fact that he had opened the Sanctuary and inherited the power of the Invincible Emperor was a sign of his immense potential, so Conrad’s admiration for Otto was understandably high.
But that wasn’t all.
“Hahaha, is that right?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“How clever of him! This is indeed Conrad’s grandson! Hahaha”
Conrad enjoyed hearing about Otto’s adventures.
The adventures of his only remaining living relative are fascinating..
“Did you say Elise? What happened to Helmut’s daughter?”
“I believe nothing eventful happened.”
“Hmm?”
“They were together briefly during the planning of the factions around the Prairies of Haver, but as far as I know, they never met again.”
“Heh.”
“Your Highness is not the man he once was.”
As he said that, Camille’s expression showed a bit of pride and a touch of elation.
“To be honest, the Sire back in his lost days was… well, he was an absolute horny bastard, unable to go a single day without engaging a woman.”
“Hmmm”
“But that was just his mind drifting, and ever since he’s come to his senses, he’s been avoiding womanizing entirely.”
“Anyone can stray… I mean, aren’t we all capable of straying?”
“Of course.”
“But that’s no reason to avoid ordinary, healthy affection between a man and a woman.”
“Y-Yeees?”
“I hear that Helmut’s daughter is a remarkable beauty. The Valdemar family must be quite prestigious on the continent, and she would make a fine bride for him.”
“Heheh, If Otto marries early, wouldn’t I have a granddaughter-in-law and a great-grandchild?”
“It’s rather strange to hear His Highness say that.”
“I am unfamiliar with this as well. But what can I do, now that I’ve become the old man in the house, you should be old too. This is the only way to have fun.”
Suddenly, Conrad found himself looking at his grandson with the happiness of a normal old man.
“That’s a shame. Why don’t we have a relationship with Helmut’s daughter for a while….”¹
At that moment.
“Your Highness!”
A knight rushed in and reported to Conrad.
“It’s an emergency, wraiths have emerged from the northern forest!”
“What!”
Conrad jumped to his feet.
“At a time like this!”
“Can you tell what’s going on?”, Camille inquired Conrad.
“I don’t have time for a lengthy explanation.”
“…….”
“If you’re really curious, follow me and see it with your own eyes, though you won’t like what you see.”
With that, Conrad left the room like a streak of lightning.
‘What’s going on?’
Though he was old and nearing retirement age, Conrad was a force to be reckoned with on the continent.
Moreover, the Kuntachi family is a prestigious house, a powerhouse of both sword and magic.
What the hell is going on here that’s causing such a stir….
But the situation was so urgent that an explanation seems to be out of reach.
‘Let’s chase after them.’
Camille quickly followed after Conrad.
As Conrad had said, if he wanted to see it for himself, he had to follow.
* * *
‘Is there a war going on?’
Camille thought as he followed after Conrad and saw that the entire Kuntachi Duchy was beginning to act as if it were in wartime.
“All magical swordsmen, fully armed, assemble!”
“All troops to the western wall!”
“All citizens of the duchy, lock your doors and never come out!”
It seemed a foregone conclusion that there would be a battle.
‘Who dared to invade the Kuntachi Duchy?’
As far as Camille was concerned, there was no force on the continent that would dare mess with the Kuntachi Duchy.
As he approached the western wall with his mind full of questions, he was surprised by the thick fog.
The fog was so thick that he couldn’t see more than two meters in front of him.
“What’s going on?”
Standing on the ramparts, Camille asked the knight captain beside him.
“Do you see that forest over there?”
The knight pointed to a grove of conifers that was barely visible through the thick fog.
“It’s called the Ghost Forest.”
“The Ghost Forest…?”
“Thirty-five years ago, wraiths began to emerge from that forest, and they took control of it, and every few months, on a day like this, when the fog is thick, they come out of the woods and kill as many as they can.”
“Have you tried slaughtering them?”
“Slaughter… if that were possible, would this be happening now?”
“…….”
“The woods are a hell of their own, so infested with cold-blooded wraiths that not even the elite of our Kuntachi clan have ever lasted twelve hours.”
“My God.”
“There have been a few attempts, but all have failed. Since then, we’ve been unable to take them on, and we’ve been forced to declare a state of emergency and defend ourselves whenever the wraiths come out of the woods.”
Then.
“Oh, they’re coming!”
Someone cried out.
*Ssshhh!!!*
One by one, wraiths emitting a chilling chill began to break through the thick fog.
“Revenge… I must… Revenge….”
“I can’t forgive… I can never forgive….”
“The despicable traitor… will be dealt with….”
The ghosts, whose eyes glow with aura, are all heavily armed.
In other words, they were not ordinary ghosts, but ghost knights.
*Shoooooooooo!*
The wraith knights then began to charge towards the city walls at a gliding swiftness.
And then the battle began.
A grossly unfair battle..
* * *
“Huh?”
Otto shook his head as he exited the sanctuary and found no one waiting for him.
In his experience, whenever Otto entered the Sanctuary, Conrad would send two knights to watch him, and then rush back to him as soon as there was a report.
This was because Conrad was eager to know what powers Otto had gained in the sanctuary and what happened inside.
Otto was well aware of this, so he’d been sneaking around the sanctuary like a rat behind Conrad’s back.
But this time, no one was waiting for him in front of the sanctuary, and Otto couldn’t help but wonder.
‘Did he lose interest in me?’
At most, he had succeeded in clearing the dungeon and obtaining the second power of the Invincible Emperor!
Moreover, he had gained a lot of experience in the dungeon, gaining 20 levels, and before he knew it, he had reached level 140!
‘Eh. No way, it’s impossible for him to lose interest.’
Otto left the sanctuary and went outside.
“Arghhhhhhh!”
“Aaaahhh!”
A scream came from the distance.
‘Battle.’
Otto realized there was a battle going on, and he started running.
‘Direction is west… Ahh.’
As soon as Otto realized that the screams were coming from the west, he realized what was happening and looked around.
‘Is this the day of the wraith?’
The thick fog had risen beyond the city walls and enveloped more than half the city.
Day of the Wraith.
For thirty-five years, ghostly knights have appeared on the day of the fog and attacked the western walls of the Duchy of Kuntachi.
The cycle ranges from a year to a few months.
Each time, House Kuntachi has suffered heavy losses, and the power losses have continued to accumulate.
In recent years, the Wraith Day has been a major reason why House Kuntachi has lost its former glory and its power has been greatly diminished.
‘I need to hurry.’
Otto sped up his pace in urgency.
Judging by the thick fog that covered more than half of the Kuntachi Duchy, it was clear that this Wraith Day was even more terrible than usual.
If he didn’t go quickly and help, the Kuntachi family might suffer irreparable damage.
‘It’s a non-stop battle without break.’
But it was okay.
This was a good opportunity to put the second power of the Invincible Emperor into practice.
** ** **
TL/N:
1. Conrad Kuntachi plans to interact with Helmut so that there will be opportunity for his Daughter to visit the Kuntachi Estate. Which will be a “coincidental” meeting between Elise and Otto.
Chapter 92
The dungeons within the Sanctuary weren’t just monster-infested lairs.
“Waaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”
Otto’s eyes snapped open at the roar.
He was in the middle of a battlefield.
Large armies were clashing against each other in a bloody battle.
The noise of screams, cheers, and the clash of weapons against weapons….
“Kill them!”
“Kill the barbarians!”
Amidst all the noise, this was a fierce battlefield where life and death were in constant flux.
The battle was between the Imperial Army of the Continent and the barbarian tribes that had made the great migration from the north.
The Imperials, with their heavily armored knights and well-trained soldiers, faced off against the barbarians.
The barbarian tribes, on the other hand, were vastly superior in numbers.
They outnumbered the Imperial army by a factor of five, and their numbers were staggering.
Seeing the barbarian tribes pushing in endlessly from almost beyond the horizon, Otto felt as if no one would blame him if he ran for cover.
This battle was a realization of a real event that happened a long time ago.
Approximately 1,100 years ago.
The northern barbarian Scythians invaded the continent, ravaging the borders of what was then the great Caiman Empire.
The Scythians then descended southward at a fearsome pace, wiping out the Caiman army and dividing the empire.
It was one of the most important battles of the war, and one in which the Imperial Army suffered a devastating defeat.
Although the record is not exactly accurate..
*Beep!*
A Quest Window appeared.
[Victory is the only way to survive]
Content: Win the battle.
Progress : 0% (0/1)
Reward: The Power of the Invincible Emperor
Note: If you lose the battle, you will die at the hands of the barbarians.
‘Losing means real death.’
Otto knew all too well that if he didn’t complete this quest, he would die.
Back when he was playing the game, he couldn’t tell you how many times he had to retry to win this battle.
‘It must have been like 200 attempts?’
‘Heck, I didn’t keep track, but it must have been that many attempts.’
That’s how hard it was to win this battle.
It was really hard to win this battle, because there was so much difficulty in figuring out how to do it, it was like banging one’s head against the wall.
But Otto figured it out after over 200 attempts, so there was no need to worry.
He simply had to fight well….
‘Let’s go.’
Otto grabbed his sword and started running towards his destination.
* * *
Meanwhile, Conrad was grilling Camille about everything that had happened.
He wanted to know everything that had been going on with Otto, every single detail.
By nature, Conrad was a cold-blooded man who would not recognize a person, no matter how closely they were related, if they were not competent, let alone if they did not live up to his standards he would not hesitate to cast them out.
But even the bloodless Conrad, now in his old age, had softened considerably.
He was suddenly filled with regret that his beloved wife had left him, and that his daughter, whom he had shunned himself, was no longer of this world.
But after the arrival of Otto, his only blood grandson, he became a much different man.
In the midst of a political crisis under the pressure of his half-brother Javier, Otto’s comet-like arrival was a welcome ray of sunshine in Conrad’s otherwise bleak and frosted life.
The mere fact that he had opened the Sanctuary and inherited the power of the Invincible Emperor was a sign of his immense potential, so Conrad’s admiration for Otto was understandably high.
But that wasn’t all.
“Hahaha, is that right?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“How clever of him! This is indeed Conrad’s grandson! Hahaha”
Conrad enjoyed hearing about Otto’s adventures.
The adventures of his only remaining living relative are fascinating..
“Did you say Elise? What happened to Helmut’s daughter?”
“I believe nothing eventful happened.”
“Hmm?”
“They were together briefly during the planning of the factions around the Prairies of Haver, but as far as I know, they never met again.”
“Heh.”
“Your Highness is not the man he once was.”
As he said that, Camille’s expression showed a bit of pride and a touch of elation.
“To be honest, the Sire back in his lost days was… well, he was an absolute horny bastard, unable to go a single day without engaging a woman.”
“Hmmm”
“But that was just his mind drifting, and ever since he’s come to his senses, he’s been avoiding womanizing entirely.”
“Anyone can stray… I mean, aren’t we all capable of straying?”
“Of course.”
“But that’s no reason to avoid ordinary, healthy affection between a man and a woman.”
“Y-Yeees?”
“I hear that Helmut’s daughter is a remarkable beauty. The Valdemar family must be quite prestigious on the continent, and she would make a fine bride for him.”
“Heheh, If Otto marries early, wouldn’t I have a granddaughter-in-law and a great-grandchild?”
“It’s rather strange to hear His Highness say that.”
“I am unfamiliar with this as well. But what can I do, now that I’ve become the old man in the house, you should be old too. This is the only way to have fun.”
Suddenly, Conrad found himself looking at his grandson with the happiness of a normal old man.
“That’s a shame. Why don’t we have a relationship with Helmut’s daughter for a while….”¹
At that moment.
“Your Highness!”
A knight rushed in and reported to Conrad.
“It’s an emergency, wraiths have emerged from the northern forest!”
“What!”
Conrad jumped to his feet.
“At a time like this!”
“Can you tell what’s going on?”, Camille inquired Conrad.
“I don’t have time for a lengthy explanation.”
“…….”
“If you’re really curious, follow me and see it with your own eyes, though you won’t like what you see.”
With that, Conrad left the room like a streak of lightning.
‘What’s going on?’
Though he was old and nearing retirement age, Conrad was a force to be reckoned with on the continent.
Moreover, the Kuntachi family is a prestigious house, a powerhouse of both sword and magic.
What the hell is going on here that’s causing such a stir….
But the situation was so urgent that an explanation seems to be out of reach.
‘Let’s chase after them.’
Camille quickly followed after Conrad.
As Conrad had said, if he wanted to see it for himself, he had to follow.
* * *
‘Is there a war going on?’
Camille thought as he followed after Conrad and saw that the entire Kuntachi Duchy was beginning to act as if it were in wartime.
“All magical swordsmen, fully armed, assemble!”
“All troops to the western wall!”
“All citizens of the duchy, lock your doors and never come out!”
It seemed a foregone conclusion that there would be a battle.
‘Who dared to invade the Kuntachi Duchy?’
As far as Camille was concerned, there was no force on the continent that would dare mess with the Kuntachi Duchy.
As he approached the western wall with his mind full of questions, he was surprised by the thick fog.
The fog was so thick that he couldn’t see more than two meters in front of him.
“What’s going on?”
Standing on the ramparts, Camille asked the knight captain beside him.
“Do you see that forest over there?”
The knight pointed to a grove of conifers that was barely visible through the thick fog.
“It’s called the Ghost Forest.”
“The Ghost Forest…?”
“Thirty-five years ago, wraiths began to emerge from that forest, and they took control of it, and every few months, on a day like this, when the fog is thick, they come out of the woods and kill as many as they can.”
“Have you tried slaughtering them?”
“Slaughter… if that were possible, would this be happening now?”
“…….”
“The woods are a hell of their own, so infested with cold-blooded wraiths that not even the elite of our Kuntachi clan have ever lasted twelve hours.”
“My God.”
“There have been a few attempts, but all have failed. Since then, we’ve been unable to take them on, and we’ve been forced to declare a state of emergency and defend ourselves whenever the wraiths come out of the woods.”
Then.
“Oh, they’re coming!”
Someone cried out.
*Ssshhh!!!*
One by one, wraiths emitting a chilling chill began to break through the thick fog.
“Revenge… I must… Revenge….”
“I can’t forgive… I can never forgive….”
“The despicable traitor… will be dealt with….”
The ghosts, whose eyes glow with aura, are all heavily armed.
In other words, they were not ordinary ghosts, but ghost knights.
*Shoooooooooo!*
The wraith knights then began to charge towards the city walls at a gliding swiftness.
And then the battle began.
A grossly unfair battle..
* * *
“Huh?”
Otto shook his head as he exited the sanctuary and found no one waiting for him.
In his experience, whenever Otto entered the Sanctuary, Conrad would send two knights to watch him, and then rush back to him as soon as there was a report.
This was because Conrad was eager to know what powers Otto had gained in the sanctuary and what happened inside.
Otto was well aware of this, so he’d been sneaking around the sanctuary like a rat behind Conrad’s back.
But this time, no one was waiting for him in front of the sanctuary, and Otto couldn’t help but wonder.
‘Did he lose interest in me?’
At most, he had succeeded in clearing the dungeon and obtaining the second power of the Invincible Emperor!
Moreover, he had gained a lot of experience in the dungeon, gaining 20 levels, and before he knew it, he had reached level 140!
‘Eh. No way, it’s impossible for him to lose interest.’
Otto left the sanctuary and went outside.
“Arghhhhhhh!”
“Aaaahhh!”
A scream came from the distance.
‘Battle.’
Otto realized there was a battle going on, and he started running.
‘Direction is west… Ahh.’
As soon as Otto realized that the screams were coming from the west, he realized what was happening and looked around.
‘Is this the day of the wraith?’
The thick fog had risen beyond the city walls and enveloped more than half the city.
Day of the Wraith.
For thirty-five years, ghostly knights have appeared on the day of the fog and attacked the western walls of the Duchy of Kuntachi.
The cycle ranges from a year to a few months.
Each time, House Kuntachi has suffered heavy losses, and the power losses have continued to accumulate.
In recent years, the Wraith Day has been a major reason why House Kuntachi has lost its former glory and its power has been greatly diminished.
‘I need to hurry.’
Otto sped up his pace in urgency.
Judging by the thick fog that covered more than half of the Kuntachi Duchy, it was clear that this Wraith Day was even more terrible than usual.
If he didn’t go quickly and help, the Kuntachi family might suffer irreparable damage.
‘It’s a non-stop battle without break.’
But it was okay.
This was a good opportunity to put the second power of the Invincible Emperor into practice.
** ** **
TL/N:
1. Conrad Kuntachi plans to interact with Helmut so that there will be opportunity for his Daughter to visit the Kuntachi Estate. Which will be a “coincidental” meeting between Elise and Otto.
