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Chapter 121

In the royal hall of the Hatzfeld Kingdom.

Everyone was watching the king cautiously.

The king sat on his throne with a very displeased expression.

“So, nobody knows why Count McCarthy died?”

“That is...”

“McCarthy acted independently...”

“We\'re still investigating the reason, please just give us a little more time—ugh!”

The nobles, who had been observing the situation carefully, recoiled in fear.

The armrest of the throne that the Hatzfeld King sat on had crumbled to dust.

The king was showing extreme anger.

In the Hatzfeld Kingdom, the royal authority was incredibly strong, and even the high-ranking nobles couldn’t utter a word in his presence.

“Are you seriously saying that right now?!”

The royal hall echoed loudly.

Some nobles even collapsed, bleeding, from the king\'s intense mana.

“Summon Dirk!”

Clearly displeased with the actions of the nobles.

He called for Dirk Hatzfeld, he was in charge of toppling the Fresia Empire.

The grand doors of the hall opened, and Dirk entered along with the Bishop Gregor.

“We greet His Majesty. What is the reason for summoning us...?”

Dirk surveyed the scene.

Something seemed off.

“Count McCarthy and his 13,000 soldiers were annihilated in Rehinar. Did you not know of this?”

Dirk’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out at the king\'s words.

“Is this true?”

The king frowned at Dirk’s response.

His son truly seemed unaware.

But that made it even more concerning.

It was Dirk’s responsibility to oversee the downfall of the Fresia Empire.

Yet, he had no idea that the McCarthy family, stationed at the kingdom\'s frontline, had been wiped out in Rehinar.

As the person responsible for the empire\'s overthrow, this was a deeply disappointing performance.

“You knew nothing at all?”

“I... deeply apologize. Recently, I have been completely absorbed in Master Gregor’s teachings and neglected other matters…”

“Hmph.”

The king finally took a moment to inspect Dirk carefully.

It was a very brief moment, but it was clear that Dirk had changed significantly from before.

His energy had grown sharper, and his mana was now well-refined.

If this continued for just six more months...

“He could reach the 7th class. They say the Lycera Theocracy is the strongest on the continent... There’s definitely a reason they willingly allowed the lord of the hundred spears to mentor him.”

Though the news of McCarthy\'s forces being annihilated angered him, seeing his son’s growth somewhat lifted his spirits.

If Dirk continued to mature like this, it would be a great help to Hatzfeld.

However, there was no time to let him grow at his own pace.

No, merely growing at this rate was no longer enough.

Dirk\'s growth needed to accelerate.

“Bishop Gregor.”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“I have a request. Can you put Dirk into real combat to help him grow stronger?”

“You\'re asking me to speed up his growth not through mere training in the kingdom, but by throwing him into actual combat?”

“You understood perfectly.”

“The target will be Rehinar, and eventually the Fresia Empire, correct?”

“I know it’s a difficult request, but I ask for your help.”

The Lycera Theocracy and Hatzfeld Kingdom had formed an alliance for certain reasons.

Their goal was the downfall of Fresia and Rehinar, as they had the most potential and history of giving rise to blood knights.

To accomplish this, the two nations joined forces.

Hatzfeld would take the lead in battle, and the Lycera Theocracy would support them from behind, complementing each other.

Yet, slipping into this alliance was the King of Hatzfeld’s rather bold demand.

He not only wanted Dirk to grow quickly but also asked that Gregor protect him at the same time.

It was easy to ask, but it required immense power.

After all, Dirk needed to be kept alive.

That’s why the king approached Gregor so humbly. His request was like asking for two birds to be caught with one stone.

“Hmm… May I use Prince Dirk in the battle with Rehinar?”

“If you deem it necessary, go ahead.”

“Understood. I’ll make sure to strengthen the prince.”

“Thank you. Hatzfeld will compensate Lycera generously.”

With a smile, Bishop Gregor clasped his hands together.

“The blessing of the gods will be with us.”

---

After leaving the royal hall, Bishop Gregor placed a hand on Dirk’s shoulder.

“His Majesty seems to expect you to fulfill your role as prince.”

“I have neglected my duties lately, being so absorbed in your training. I will start paying more attention to external matters, even if I have to reduce my sleep.”

“That’s the right attitude. Besides, there were limits to your growth through simulated training alone. Now that you\'re entering real combat, make the most of this opportunity.”

“I will take your words to heart.”

“Prepare to leave for the border. I’ll also get ready.”

After bowing, Dirk quickly disappeared from sight.

Bishop Gregor returned to his quarters and pulled out a transparent orb, contacting the other seats.

As the image of a fox mask appeared in the crystal orb, Gregor spoke.

“What’s going on? I heard McCarthy’s forces were wiped out by Rehinar.”

- The news reached you late.

“I’m asking what happened.”

- The second and third seats are dead.

“I heard that too. I always figured those idiots would die eventually, but Count McCarthy is different. According to our plan, he should have attacked Rehinar alongside the mutated monsters. Isn’t that how we envisioned it?”

- Correct.

“Then why did things turn out this way?”

- An unexpected variable—or rather, an unexpected action.

“What kind of action?”

- Kane Rehinar killed the diplomatic envoy sent by Count McCarthy.

“That was a reckless move, but still, there’s no way Count McCarthy would raise an army without reporting it first.”

- That envoy was… his son.

“This is getting insane.”

- I was going to contact you about this matter anyway. It\'s a good thing you reached out. You should join us.

“Did you forget I’ve got a brat hanging around me? The King asked me to help raise his kid. It’s a huge nuisance. If it weren’t for orders from above, I’d have quit a long time ago.”

- So you’ll be heading to the battlefield too. That works, we’ll meet you there.

“Is everyone really gathering?”

- The Lord’s patience has worn thin after all these failures. If we fail this time...

“Then we’re all as good as dead.”

- Which is why we must succeed, no matter what.

“Tell me your plan.”

- The first plan involves sending a diplomatic envoy through the Fourth Seat to initiate contact. It may take time, but it’s the most reliable way to bring down Rehinar.

“And the second?”

- Before the first plan takes effect, we’ll lure them out and strike Rehinar directly.

“You’ll need me, then.”

In warfare, there were only two options: attack or defend.

However, no faction could rely on just one option.

Sticking to one strategy too rigidly would increase the chances of losing the war.

In any situation, both attack and defense had to be balanced.

Even if Rehinar chose a siege defense, they couldn’t stay locked in their fortress forever. Sooner or later, they would come out to launch a counterattack.

That was the moment to strike.

- According to our intel, the Rehinar Military Academy is preparing for real combat training.

“They’re bold, I’ll give them that. By now, the mutated monsters should’ve reached them.”

- We plan to deal with the forces outside their territory before the first plan is implemented.

“We won’t even need to force them out, then. Let’s seize this opportunity.”

- It’s best to move quickly, before the cadets from the Rehinar Military Academy return back to the territory.

“I’ll head out immediately. Stay in touch.”

- We’ve agreed to work together with the other seats, so let’s make sure this mission goes smoothly.

Bishop Gregor nodded in agreement.

“I don’t want to die by the lord’s hand either.”

They were fully aware of the gravity of the situation.

The plan had started to unravel at some point.

And Kane Rehinar was tied to it all.

If they didn’t manage to kill him, they themselves would surely die.

“We’ve been far too complacent. We need to seize this opportunity and eliminate all the obstacles in our way.”

After cutting off the communication, Gregor muttered quietly to himself.

---

Rehinar was now facing the second wave of the mutated monster.

“Kill them all before they reach the walls!”

“They’re not so tough after all, are they?”

“I can’t believe we were scared of monsters like this.”

Soldiers on the fortress walls unleashed a barrage of arrows on the Blood Orcs below.

Their morale was sky-high.

With every arrow that hit the ground, another Blood Orc fell.

Their weapons were all made by Mikhail, and even the arrowheads were of top-tier, three-star quality.

It was only natural that the Blood Orcs were dropping like flies.

Of course, the number of monsters swarming the territory wasn’t very high.

At most, there were about 200 of them.

This was fewer than the first wave of mutated monsters.

Still, Blood Orcs were formidable, classified as high-tier third-class creatures.

Even with their small numbers, the fact that they were being slaughtered so easily was due to the superior equipment the soldiers had.

The soldiers, fully aware of this, felt their confidence surge even higher.

For regular troops—not even knights—to be equipped with such expensive weapons and armor was a rare occurrence.

“Let’s make sure no one dares challenge Rehinar again!” shouted Hans, the head of the guards.

His cry spurred the soldiers to open the gates and charge forward.

They rushed in to sweep away the remaining Blood Orcs.

Several soldiers swarmed each Blood Orc, turning them into pincushions.

The first wave that swarmed Rehinar ended anticlimactically.

Now, the second wave was coming.

This was real.

To the northwest of Rehinar, an undead knight appeared, brimming with dark oblivion energy.

However, even this formidable enemy was stopped by Mikhail.

“Do you think Mikhail’s holding up okay?” Kane asked.

“Kane, don’t worry about that guy. He’s too sharp to go down easily,” Blata replied casually.

“True. He’s grown stronger while crafting weapons.”

Mikhail’s skill level had reached a high-tier 5th Class. Recently, however, he had broken past that barrier.

Thanks to the refinement of various elemental stones, combined with his fiery participation in real battles, he had reached the beginner tier of 6-class.

He had fiercely fought the Tegelo and McCarthy families, and the experience he gained had pushed him over the edge.

Even though the undead knight was strong, it was just a monster in the second wave of this monster wave.

“Unless a monstrous-level variant appears, Mikhail should be fine,” Kane reassured.

“Exactly! If it’s me or him, nothing can take us down,” Blata grinned.

As Kane and Blata continued their conversation, Joseph, the head instructor of the military academy, approached cautiously.

“Your Highness, do you think the territory will remain safe?”

“There won’t be any significant issues,” Kane replied confidently.

“But is it truly wise to hold field exercises during such an active period of mutant monsters? If their parents find out, it won’t just end with complaints...”

“Especially since the Second Imperial Princess is also here,” Josef added nervously.

“I understand your concerns,” Kane said.

The main reason the demon forest hadn’t been eradicated was because of the lurking mutant monsters. Some of them were classified as monstrous-level variants. If one of those were to emerge, it would be a disaster.

If such a variant appeared, it would spell the death of all the noble cadets. Even if they somehow survived and returned, the noble families would only turn hostile. The losses would far outweigh any benefits.

“I plan to catch a big fish,” Kane said with a gleam in his eye. “There are too many tempting figures gathered here, aren’t there?”

Everyone with Rehinar blood, including himself, was here.

Not to mention Princess Charlott, and many other nobles from across the empire.

If they all died here, it would shake the very foundations of Fresia.

Those plotting Fresia’s downfall wouldn’t pass up such an opportunity.

“They won’t let this bait slip away,” Kane continued. “And we’ll use this chance to reel them in. That’s why I’ve deployed Anna.”