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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 25: The Second Dreihart Rebellion Suppression (1)
As Calyx and Zarha emerged from their meeting, the ‘Black Masks’—no, the Bloodkin—watched from a distance.
Behind their masks, they didn’t hide their burning hatred as they stared at Calyx.
“Is that Calyx?”
“Yes, Kir. That’s the lord who slaughtered our people.”
Kir was the Commander of『Balharim』, a Bloodkin unit from the southern provinces sent on a ‘Sacred Mission.’
Their duty was to divide and weaken the Empire by aiding the slaves’ rebellion and increasing the damage to the suppression forces.
Among their orders was the assassination of Lord Calyx, who had been rapidly gaining power recently.
“They say that fiend brutally killed three of our kin with a cleaver.”
“Nonsense!”
Kir snapped at his subordinate, Yan.
Yan bowed his head, trembling under Kir’s sharp rebuke.
“Rumors are always exaggerated, Yan. Don’t fall for baseless gossip.”
“I-I'm sorry, Kir.”
Kir knew their skills well.
There was no way their comrades would have died by a mere cleaver.
This had to be the lies spun by those despicable bards.
“Surely, he must have used a hidden blade in a fierce battle to strike down our kin. Don’t you feel it? That man’s aura...”
“Yes… I feel it, Kir.”
They sensed Calyx’s presence, but from the moment they saw him, they never once felt his mana.
This meant one of two things—
Either he was an ordinary man with no mana at all, or…
He was an assassin trained like them in special techniques.
Considering his reputation and abilities, the latter was far more likely.
“We will avenge our kin’s disgrace, Yan.”
“Yes, Kir.”
The Bloodkin members of Balharim all glared fiercely at Calyx.
They continued staring until the moment he disappeared, as if swearing never to forget his face.
＊ ＊ ＊
‘Damn, I thought I was about to piss myself.’
During the talks with Zarha, I honestly felt like I was losing my mind.
The presence he radiated was next level—pure, overwhelming force.
He was at least one and a half times my size, his whole body covered in blue scales and bulging muscles ready to burst. On top of that, he had these blue horns growing from his head.
His face was marred with countless scars, which only doubled the intensity of his terrifying look.
If the Hulk were standing right in front of me, this would definitely be the vibe.
Especially when he challenged me to a fight at the end—I was sure a fist was about to fly at me any second.
But as a lord, I couldn’t afford to flinch. So I resorted to my secret weapon—the ‘blurred gaze’.
It’s a trick I picked up from watching horror movies in my past life—keeping your eyes open but not actually seeing anything.
Who would’ve thought that skill would come in handy here? Life really is full of surprises.
When we left the meeting tent, chills ran all over my body.
I felt a sharp, piercing energy—like a deadly aura—but since I’m no martial arts master, I couldn’t tell who was radiating it.
It had to be those slave soldiers.
I mean, after hundreds of years of abuse as slaves, I’d probably be radiating that kind of killing intent too.
After the meeting ended, I headed straight back to the central tent where everyone was gathered at our camp.
The moment I walked in, Nova rushed up to me.
“My lord! Did the talks go well? Are you alright?”
“Yeah, nothing happened. And everything went according to plan, Nova.”
“Thank goodness…”
Hearing I returned safely and that the plan was on track, Nova visibly relaxed.
Our camp was already buzzing, scrambling to prepare for the battle tomorrow.
The knights had been briefed and were making ready.
Honestly, I felt sorry for them—they had the toughest jobs in this whole plan.
If my stubbornness got us all killed, they’d be the ones paying the price.
I turned to Rikain, who was standing beside me.
“Rikain, I might be asking something unreasonable of you and the Cron Knights. I’m sorry…”
But Rikain smiled with more confidence than ever—like a trustworthy uncle you can always count on.
“A noble battle is the honor of knights! Thank you for preparing this glorious fight that might go down in history.”
He knelt before me.
Following his lead, all the knights inside the tent dropped to their knees.
“We are ready. Please give your command, my lord.”
Their words filled me with both gratitude and the heavy weight of responsibility.
Tomorrow’s battle could claim thousands of lives.
Being here, feeling this burden firsthand, I understood why so many great figures in history suffered so much when giving orders.
Feeling the weight of that responsibility, I commanded my Cron Knights—
“Knights of Cron!! Tomorrow, suppress those slaves without killing more than necessary!”
[ “We will faithfully carry out your command, my lord!” ]
The dice have been cast.
There’s no turning back now.
＊ ＊ ＊
The next day, Zarha was the first to leave the city walls to prepare for battle.
After the meeting the day before, he had returned to Dreihart with the prisoners and food supplies.
The food provided by Lord Calyx was a type of wheat from the Western region—something they’d never seen before.
Though it was unfamiliar, it was confirmed by the Black-Masked ones to be free of poison, magic, or any other tampering.
For the first time in ages, the people of Dreihart were able to eat their fill of bread.
And more importantly—he was reunited with his son, Rakan.
“Rakan! Are you alright?! Are you hurt anywhere?!”
“Yes, Father! I’m fine! Lord Calyx took very good care of us!”
“…‘Lord,’ huh?”
Rakan, in just a few days, had gained some healthy weight—his cheeks were visibly fuller.
According to him, Lord Calyx had shared his own food with the prisoners, ensuring they were looked after.
“Father! I tasted something called grapes for the first time! They were ‘so’ sweet!”
“…Is that so? That’s… good to hear.”
Seeing how much of his son’s bitterness had faded disturbed Zarha. It was good that Rakan had returned safely—but what unsettled him was the feeling creeping into his own heart.
A warmth toward that lord. A dangerous empathy.
Then came the words Zarha dreaded hearing most.
“Father… that lord, he seemed like a good person. Could he… could he be ‘the One’ from the legends?”
“Don’t be foolish, Rakan!”
“S-Sorry… Father!”
In Dreihart, there is an ancient legend.
That one day, a being would descend from the sky in a blaze of blue light—a savior who would free all the slaves.
But to Zarha, a legend was just that.
When his parents had died from untreated wounds, that savior hadn’t come.
When his wife had died giving birth to Rakan, ‘he’ hadn’t come.
On the day she passed, Zarha made a vow—That he would liberate his people with his own hands.
He didn’t exactly ‘hate’ the lord who showed them compassion. But sympathy was one thing. Survival was another.
Zarha steeled himself.
‘Lord of Cron… I don’t want your death. But if survival demands it, then so be it. I hope you understand.’
Time passed. Eventually, both forces gathered on the plains.
There were fewer enemy troops than in the last battle, but Zarha wasn’t letting his guard down.
According to the Black-Masked one's intelligence, there was a powerful mage among them—and just watching from afar, Zarha could sense it.
The unified movements. The piercing resolves in the eyes of every knight.
His instincts, sharpened through years of war, screamed that this was no easy foe.
Then, noon struck. The moment they had agreed upon.
As the sun climbed directly overhead, Zarha bellowed—
“Brothers—charge!!”
[ “UWAHHHHHHH!!!” ]
Whatever trap they had set up didn’t matter.
They’d crush it all with raw power.
At Zarha’s lead, the slave soldiers roared and charged.
And in response—the Cron Knights began their own charge.
“Cron Knights! Let us begin an honorable battle!”
[ “Yes, sir!!!” ]
Brock, the vice-captain, led the cavalry straight toward the enemy.
The two forces were closing fast—one more beat and it would be another catastrophic clash like last time, with mass casualties on both sides.
But just before the moment of impact, Brock shouted—
“Scatter—now!!”
[ “Yes, sir!!” ]
The cavalry, mid-charge, suddenly split left and right in perfect synchronicity.
The slave soldiers, braced for a direct clash, were completely thrown off by the sudden maneuver.
But what shocked them even more… was what came next.
“Everyone—fire!!”
Thwip—! Fwip-fwip—! Thwip—!
At Brock’s signal, the knights all fired their bows and crossbows in unison. The cavalry, who looked like they were about to collide head-on, suddenly dispersed and began raining arrows mid-charge, throwing the slave soldiers into disarray.
“It’s arrows! Take cover!!”
“Shields! Get the shields up!!”
The Cron Knights weren’t known for brute strength like the beastly warriors of House Raion.
What they lacked in raw power, they made up for in precision and speed.
Their signature move was a cavalry tactic called the『Parthian Shot』—firing arrows while riding at full gallop, weaving through enemy lines like a storm on hooves.
Rather than clash head-on, they struck from range, dodging and harassing, never giving the enemy a chance to catch their breath.
That relentless, elusive style earned them fame across the Empire as masters of mounted archery.
To the slave soldiers of Dreihart—who were expecting a head-on clash like they'd seen from the Raion Knights—the sudden appearance of mounted archers was nothing short of a nightmare.
But the nightmare didn’t end there.
Thunk—!
“AAAGH! I’ve been hit!!”
“You okay?!”
“I-It’s just my arm… I’ll be—kff—!!”
“Huh?! Hey—Sharan!! Stay with me!!”
The arrows were laced with ‘tranquilizer poison’, meant to subdue rather than kill.
Harmless to life, yes—but to the slave soldiers watching their comrades drop like flies, it looked like a lethal poison meant to wipe them out.
The psychological impact alone was enough to shake morale.
“Zarha! Isn’t this getting dangerous?!”
“Just as I thought… coward’s tricks.”
He’d suspected they’d bring underhanded tactics—but poison? That ‘that’ lord would stoop to using such unwarrior-like methods left Zarha disillusioned.
…And yet, strangely, a part of him was relieved.
Now, he could fight without hesitation or second thoughts.
With that, Zarha roared and activated his『Draconification』.
“Brothers—do not be afraid!! The battle ends the moment we strike down that lord!!”
“Y-Yeah!!!”
“We’ve got Zarha on our side!!”
Galvanized by their leader, the shaken slave soldiers ignored the mounted archers and charged straight for Lord Calyx’s main camp. The archers were troublesome, sure—but the real objective was capturing that lord.
Zarha believed that unlike before, there’d be no warriors like Hadem guarding the command tent. He surged forward, aiming to break through.
In front of Lord Calyx stood a line of knights clad in heavy armor—but Zarha, in his transformed state, was confident he could smash right through.
“Knights of Cron!! Form shield wall!!”
“Yes, sir!!”
Clack—! Clack—! Clack—!
Seeing Zarha's charge, the knight who appeared to be the commander raised his shield, ready to meet the impact head-on.
Zarha grit his teeth and threw himself forward, prepared to shatter the shields in his path.
THOOOOM—!!!
“…What?!”
The moment of impact stunned him.
The shield line, centered around the commander, held firm against his full-force charge.
For the first time in his life—Zarha’s charge had been stopped.
As he reeled from the shock, the shield line parted. Blood trickled down the face of the knight at the center, but he didn’t flinch. He simply stared Zarha down with unshakable resolve and declared—
“You will not take even a single step closer to my lord.”
This knight—so different from the wild beast Hadem—was a wall of iron will.
For the first time in this war, Zarha felt a chill of sweat roll down his back.
And just like that, he realized—the battle was beginning to slip from his hands.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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