Chapter 246

“…Wow, now that’s surprising.”

His tone changed, as if his face had cracked.

“I didn’t think you knew that much.”

“Don’t underestimate Pellenberg’s information network.”

“Yeah, seems I shouldn’t.”

“Then, what’s your relationship with Baelz?”

“Who knows.”

Count Patrick Pirandello shrugged and smiled.

“Wouldn’t it be more fun if you found out for yourself? With that magnificent Pellenberg information network.”

“There’s no sense in taking the hard road when there’s an easier one.”

“This one will be much harder.”

“I see.”

Then the only option left was to catch him and ask directly.

“When I realized everything I had accumulated had disappeared without a trace, I already suspected things had gone wrong.”

Even so, he didn’t give up or flee.

“I just wanted to see your face one more time.”

He wanted to see with his own eyes what kind of man had humiliated him so thoroughly.

And deep down, he trusted he could always escape no matter what happened.

“In that, we’re opposites.”

Rrrrumble—

A magic circle began to form in the sky.

“Because I, no matter what, will catch you.”

A figure floated in the air—a mage.

It was someone even Count Patrick couldn’t fail to recognize.

“…The Rector of the Academy?”

And not just anyone, but someone he never expected to see.

Wasn’t it enough to bring the Mercenary King, and now the Rector too?

“T-The Rector…!”

Count Patrick’s face, along with the Second Prince’s, turned pale.

But they had no time to process it.

Clang!

Patrick intercepted a black spear that flew through the air.

“Don’t we still have unfinished business?”

The Mercenary King roared and lunged at him.

Large-scale magic fell like a calamity.

And so, the battle began.

***

The fight was fierce.

And the outcome leaned, as anyone could have predicted.

A complete defeat.

Count Patrick Pirandello was strong, but not strong enough to face both a Royal Knight and an Archmage at the same time.

And while Fernan Pellenberg wasn’t an Archmage, he was still a formidable warrior not to be underestimated.

Defeat was inevitable, and Gerlan barely managed to escape thanks to the sacrifice of his subordinates.

Clop, clop, clop—

Horses thundered along the mountain path.

From hundreds of soldiers, only a few dozen remained—the prince’s closest knights.

“How could this happen?! How?!”

“Your Highness! We must return to the kingdom as quickly as possible! Gather the troops in the capital and make the attack public, we must issue a formal protest to the Empire!”

“This is interference in internal affairs—no, something worse! How dare Fernan Pellenberg and the Rector of the Academy attack a prince of Linelt?!”

They were right. Fernan Pellenberg wasn’t just a merchant, but heir to a princely family.

And the Rector—his institution’s name said it all—the Imperial Armian Academy, a figure of immense power within the Empire.

And now both had attacked him—the Second Prince and Regent of the Kingdom of Linelt.

It was practically a declaration of war.

“As soon as I return to the capital, I’ll make this attack public and send envoys to all nations!”

The Empire was an enemy Linelt couldn’t face alone.

Even if it became a diplomatic war, they needed support from other kingdoms.

“You’ll see, Fernan Pellenberg!”

How much must he despise Linelt to dare go this far?

At that moment—

Whoosh!

An arrow flew and struck the back of a knight, knocking him off his horse.

“Sir Prell!”

“Your Highness, the pursuers have caught up to us!”

Some knights split from the group.

“We’ll hold them here! Return to the capital safely!”

The sound of clashing weapons, neighing horses, and shouts faded into the distance.

Gerlan clenched his teeth.

Fernan Pellenberg.

The Mercenary King.

The Rector.

Antenor Linelt.

And Count Patrick Pirandello.

He repeated the five names in his mind.

The ones he had to take revenge on.

He had gone too far. He had done everything to reach the throne.

He couldn’t give up now. He would reclaim his position and get revenge on all of them.

“Have courage, Your Highness!”

“Courage? I can’t go on! I’m nothing but a traitor who sold his country to the corrupt!”

The pursuers attacked them several more times. Some sacrificed themselves for Gerlan, others abandoned him and fled.

“Your Highness, we should stop in another city and gather reinforcements…!”

“No, we’re going straight to the capital! The enemy is Fernan Pellenberg, and right now time is everything! I must issue an official statement as regent before he acts!”

Heading to the capital was the smartest move if he wanted to stay ahead of Fernan, who no doubt planned to move the First Prince.

He was still the regent, and only in the capital could he fully exercise his authority.

Several days passed.

“…Is this all that’s left?”

“Five men deserted last night. I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

“…I trusted them, they’ve been with me over ten years.”

Fewer than ten remained by his side.

He was exhausted and covered in grime, but his eyes burned more fiercely than ever.

They were full of hatred—the determination to overcome this national crisis, reclaim his throne, and take revenge on the traitors who had abandoned him.

At last, he arrived at the capital.

But something was off.

“…Are the gates closed?”

The gates, which were always open, were now sealed. There were no lines of people as usual.

“Open the gates!”

Gerlan shouted as he reached the gate. Fortunately, there were soldiers on the wall. They poked their heads out.

“Who goes there?”

“This is His Highness Gerlan Linelt, the regent! Open the gates at once and receive His Highness!”

But the gates didn’t move an inch.

“We cannot do that.”

“…What did you say?”

“Please wait a moment.”

“Wait? Don’t you see he’s the regent?! Open the gates immediately!”

The soldiers looked inward again. They didn’t respond, no matter how much he shouted.

“Your Highness…”

“What’s going on here?”

Anyone with sense could tell something was very wrong.

Crreeeak—

Then, the gates opened.

As a knight had announced, a crowd awaited to receive him.

“……!”

But they all wore armor and carried weapons. Spears and swords pointed directly at Gerlan.

And at the center of that group—

“…Your Majesty? How…?”

The king, who was supposed to be unconscious from his illness, was there, standing, supported by his aged body.

Gerlan was speechless.

Was that possible?

How could he be awake now?

His face turned completely pale.

“It’s been a while, Gerlan Linelt.”

The father’s voice calling his son held no trace of emotion. It was cold and stern.

“From today, you are dismissed from your position as regent.”

The king slowly pronounced the final sentence on his son.

“For the crime of attempting to assassinate the king, of driving the crown prince mad with poisons, and for using the kingdom’s wealth for personal gain.”

“…Crown prince?”

Although the king of Linelt had always shown favoritism toward the First Prince, he had never officially declared him heir.

That was a formal proclamation.

“He shall be executed. Arrest the traitor!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“At once!”

The royal guard surrounded him.

Until he was pulled down from his horse and dragged across the ground.

“……”

Gerlan said not a word.

He couldn’t say anything.

***

Meanwhile, Patrick Pirandello had also managed to escape, separated from Gerlan Linelt.

The Mercenary King was one thing, but the rector of the Academy had been completely unexpected. He had no intention of dying in a miserable place like the Kingdom of Linelt.

So he fled. In exchange for escaping those two monsters, he lost an arm, but he didn’t care.

Gruuu—

From the amputated end, bones and flesh began to emerge. Blood began to flow again, and muscles reactivated.

“……”

Patrick clenched and unclenched his new fist with a satisfied smile.

His clothes were in tatters, but the rest of his wounds had fully regenerated.

He was just a bit tired, but his body was in good condition.

He now had two options.

Flee as he was—or deal one final blow to the Kingdom of Linelt?

His decision tilted toward the latter. He headed for the capital.

And when he arrived, what he saw was the Second Prince being arrested and taken away in shackles.

“What a sight.”

How had they managed to awaken the king? Wasn’t he nearly dead, corrupted by dark magic?

It had to be Fernan’s doing.

Dantalion was right—Fernan was a much more troublesome enemy than Aint Armian.

With Aint, one only had to beware of his power.

But Fernan Pellenberg was a strategist capable of dismantling his enemy’s plans from every angle.

“Now I understand why Dantalion failed so spectacularly.”

Andromalius, Seir, Kimaris, Decarabia, Flauros, Andrealphus.

He hadn’t understood how they could have fallen to humans. He had considered them arrogant fools for underestimating humans even after being defeated a thousand years ago.

But if Fernan Pellenberg had been involved in all those cases, then it made sense.

At least for now, Fernan was more meticulous and precise than any other.

“Well, maybe not so meticulous.”

Fernan had made a mistake.

Arrogance. Pride.

A human who underestimated the corrupt and demons so much. Understandable after so many victories—he must’ve thought they were just insects.

“But tell me, Fernan Pellenberg…”

I, too, know how to dig escape tunnels.

Without anyone noticing, Patrick jumped over the wall and entered the basement of a mansion.

There, mountains of magic stones were already prepared.

He had almost completely emptied the remaining royal treasury, converting everything—including emergency treasures and the newly collected special taxes—into magic stones.

“Your pride will be your downfall.”

Fernan’s mistake had been his overconfidence.

Discovering the summoning circle, stealing the sacrifices, and leaving it undestroyed.

Thinking that, just because it had been looted once, no one would use it again.

“The Kingdom of Linelt will fall because of you.”

The magic circle began to glow as it reacted with the magic stones.

Six mansions shone at the same time, connecting to form a six-pointed star.

A sinister energy covered the entire capital.

Patrick slowly stepped into the garden. They were waiting for him there.

“You’re late.”

Patrick smiled calmly.

Fernan responded.

“Late?”

“Yes. The summoning circle has already been activated. Once it’s in motion, there’s no way to stop it.”

The demon would be summoned. That was an immutable truth. And once summoned, everything would be over.

“I win.”

“How stupid.”

“Stupid?”

“Do you really think that after facing so many corrupt and demons, I wouldn’t have anticipated the possibility of another summoning?”

The person behind Fernan removed their cloak.

Radiant golden hair was revealed.

“…Aint Armian?”

It was Patrick’s first time seeing him, but there was no doubt. He was too famous not to recognize.

If it was Aint Armian, he was the best possible card against demons.

“And you think I didn’t know Aint Armian would appear the moment you did?”

Patrick had anticipated that too.

“How many disasters have the two of you caused together?”

He spread both hands.

“Look.”

He looked up at the sky.

───CRACK!

Space tore open. From the rift poured a dense tide of corrupt magic.

A small hand emerged from the fissure and tore it open further.

Riding atop a red two-headed lizard, an innocent-looking winged boy slowly descended.

But the chaotic magic surrounding him proved he wasn’t just a child.

“Demon No. 62—Valac.”

A wicked being wearing a child’s mask.

Had descended.

But Patrick wasn’t done.

“And next.”

“Next… what?”

“What did you say…?”

“……!”

Another hand emerged from the same rift.

This time, a larger creature—a humanoid body with an owl’s head, wings on its back, and a sword wrapped in black flames, mounted on a dark wolf.

The moment it appeared, the concentration of demonic energy became unbearable.

“Demon No. 63—Andras.”

“……!”

“Two demons…?”

Such a thing had never been seen before—two full demons summoned simultaneously in the same place.

There were cases like Andrealphus and Flauros, but those were in different locations.

Dantalion, on the other hand, had only been a projection, not his true body.

But this time, no. Two full demons had descended together.

“A shame that, because of you, Fernan Pellenberg, the three were reduced to two…”

Well, it didn’t matter.

Could just the two of them really stop two demons and me?

“What do you think of my little surprise gift?”

Fernan Pellenberg. Aint Armian.

“This will be your grave.”

Patrick declared it.

And immediately, a rain of monsters fell from the sky.