Chapter 142: Castle·Interception (Part 2)

Crack!

With another hit from an arrow, cracks began to appear on the armor on Shiva’s chest. However, compared to the wound on his back which was completely smashed and mangled, this hit was completely negligible; and this personal guard of Marquis Vauban, the Guard Captain of many guards, did not care at all.

After all, as a Silver Knight, when Shiva entered the Silver Level, his control over himself had long reached a level unimaginable for ordinary people.

Just like the wound on his back, it looked mangled, but it did not have the situation where blood gushed out like for ordinary people, making it impossible to stop the bleeding.

This was the biggest difference between the Silver Level and those below it.

And it was precisely because of this difference that Silver Knights possessed combat power unimaginable for ordinary people. To ordinary people, they even seemed immortal.

Of course, this was naturally in the eyes of ordinary people. In real combat, injuries like having the head cut off or the heart pierced were also fatal for Silver Knights.

Just like behind this Guard Captain Shiva, there was another Silver Knight whose abdominal cavity had been pierced.

At this moment, this Silver Knight leaned against the wall, only faint breathing remained. His breath was as thin as a silk thread, and he could die at any moment—even though his abdomen was already wrapped in layers of cloth strips, if he did not receive timely treatment, the final result could already be foreseen.

For a Silver Knight who came to ‘aid’ to die in Vauban County, this was absolutely no joke. It could even cause hostility or war between two counties.

Therefore, Shiva was trying hard to open a passage to win a chance of survival for the heavily injured Silver Knight beside him.

It was also to save Vauban County from a possible war!

But…

Shiva looked outside the side hall—over there, there was the opponent who ambushed him, and a team of archers led by three Grand Knights.

The other opponent who ambushed the Silver Knight beside him, however, was nowhere to be found. Also missing were seven Grand Knights and even more archers.

This made Shiva very uneasy.

After all, the adult he was loyal to was not by his side.

Thinking of that adult’s safety, Shiva launched a charge once again.

Unfortunately, facing a Silver Knight comparable to him, plus a team of archers led by three Grand Knights, such a charge by Shiva was useless.

He was forced back again.

Moreover, after the chest armor blocked the attack once more, it completely shattered.

Clang!

Shiva threw down his useless chest armor. Standing in the room, he looked at the opponent opposite him. His already serious face became even more solemn at this moment.

Unable to delay any longer, he was ready to fight with his life.

And just at this moment, in his line of sight, a light from a Communication Crystal came from the opponent blocking him—

“Boke, assemble at the first target location!”

In the low voice, there was a hint that allowed no refusal.

Then, Shiva saw the opponent who had been entangling him lead his subordinates and quickly withdraw, without any hesitation.

Facing the enemy’s retreat, Shiva should have breathed a sigh of relief.

But, the phrase ‘first target’ in the Communication Crystal made him even more uneasy.

Shiva looked at the retreating enemies, then looked at the heavily injured and dying ‘supporter’ beside him. Finally, he gritted his teeth, moved closer to the other’s side, and whispered: “Hold on! I will be right back!”

Between Marquis Vauban and the other, Shiva chose the former. After pouring the only dose of healing medicine on his body into the other’s mouth and onto the wound, Shiva picked up his Greatsword and followed behind those attackers.

And after just a few corridors, the attackers ahead stopped.

Although the thick fog was spreading, Shiva was certain the other side had already discovered him. The other side’s confident attitude kept the alarm bells ringing in his heart.

However, after he saw Marquis Vauban trapped in a heavy encirclement not far away, Shiva launched a charge regardless of everything.

The huge Greatsword, carrying a ‘whooshing’ sound, swept away the members of the ‘Brotherhood’ around—

“My Lord!”

Shiva reached out to support the swaying Marquis Vauban, his eyes filled with deep concern.

“I am fine. What about Your Excellency Mort?”

Marquis Vauban waved his hand and asked his Guard Captain.

“After suffering the previous sudden magic attack, he was ambushed and is heavily injured!”

Shiva spoke truthfully, and this added a bit more gloom to Marquis Vauban’s face.

In fact, his only hope now could only be Shiva beside him and that Mort.

But the cruelty of reality once again told this Old Marquis how impossible his thoughts were—Shiva was by his side, but that Mort was heavily injured and had fallen into a coma.

What could he use to turn the situation around?

“Even if we cannot turn the situation around… we must ensure the safety of that adult!”

The Old Marquis took a deep breath and stood up, trying his best not to rely on his Guard Captain. He looked at the numerous enemies in front and spoke very quickly: “Go protect the adult in the main hall. That is where you are needed… here, leave it to me!”

“But, My Lord…”

“Go quickly!”

The Guard Captain still wanted to say something, but was sternly interrupted by the Marquis.

“Yes, My Lord!”

Looking at the Old Marquis’s stern face, Shiva bowed and ran towards the main hall not far behind him.

And until Shiva disappeared, the members of the ‘Brotherhood’ in front, including Boke who had Silver Level strength and held a halberd, did not move.

They just let Shiva leave.

“Come on!”

Marquis Vauban laboriously raised the Longsword in his hand again and pointed it at the enemy opposite—although he had Knight-rank strength when he was young, with the increase of age, Marquis Vauban was no longer as brave as before. The reason he could barely support himself earlier, besides the Magic Items he carried, was that the enemy opposite did not use lethal force.

As Marquis Vauban who had participated in real combat, this was not hard to sense.

Although it was not clear why the enemy would show mercy to him, Marquis Vauban understood their ill intentions and… long-standing plotting.

After all, being able to set up such a Magic Array inside his Ancient Castle without him noticing anything was absolutely not something that could be accomplished in a day or two.

Even the people they planted were definitely more than just one or two.

This made Marquis Vauban, who always considered himself quite scheming and wise, feel a burning pain on his face. The strong sense of shame made him unable to face that adult who trusted him deeply but had now fallen into danger. Therefore, Marquis Vauban prepared to wash away his humiliation with Blood and prove his dignity.

Whether it was the enemy’s or his own.

“Marquis Vauban, don’t rush, don’t rush…”

A voice sounded, still low, allowing Marquis Vauban to very easily distinguish the owner of this voice. It was the person who had been commanding the overall situation since the battle started.

Marquis Vauban tried his best to open his eyes wide and looked in the direction the voice came from.

He wanted to see what the person who made him fail looked like.

A black-gray robe, without the cinched waist of a scholar’s robe, seemed a bit loose, but it definitely would not hinder movement. His steps were sharp enough. The Staff in his hand made a ‘tap-tap’ sound like drumbeats with his steps. When the other’s face was completely revealed from the fog, Marquis Vauban was stunned.

“Derind?!”

Marquis Vauban looked in disbelief at this former Wizard Advisor of his who had died of illness a year ago—Marquis Vauban’s face was full of surprise. Although facing the current situation, he had already guessed that there were other infiltrators by his side, he did not expect it to be his former Wizard Advisor who had died.

“Greetings, Lord Marquis!”

Just like in the past, this former Wizard Advisor of Vauban County saluted Marquis Vauban. Then, he straightened his waist and, with a smile no different from Marquis Vauban’s memory, introduced himself again: “Ytil, the head of the Brotherhood’s Vauban County branch in the Four Northern Counties of the Emerald Kingdom—Derind is my alias. Please do not take offense!”

“Are you here for Grand Duke Nick?”

Marquis Vauban asked with great certainty.

With the other’s appearance, everything unreasonable and against the norm was explained.

After all, the other had served as his Wizard Advisor for five years. Five years was clearly enough time for a Grand Wizard who could freely enter Vauban Castle to do many things.

Damn it!

Marquis Vauban cursed in regret in his heart, causing him to clench his fists.

Ytil clearly saw the Old Marquis clench his fists. This Wizard Master could not help but laugh. Like a victor, Ytil, this Grand Wizard of the ‘Brotherhood’, began to narrate everything—

“Your wisdom is still as admirable as ever… If I hadn’t already been dead for a long time, I’m afraid this plan wouldn’t have gone so smoothly—from becoming your Wizard Advisor six years ago, until my death a year ago, and the notes of Master Oniedon that were discovered not long ago… all of this was my plan!”

“Of course, that notebook of Master Oniedon was an accident; however, I don’t mind using it a bit—you and that Grand Duchess have such deep prejudice against our ‘Brotherhood’ that our goodwill is always rejected. So, we had to strike back at you and that Grand Duchess… although the preparation time was a bit long, it was worth it to deal with a Gold-rank powerhouse and a County King!”

“I presume that from now on, other Emerald Nobles will surely scrutinize our goodwill instead of arrogantly rejecting it as in the past—of course, I am not a heartless person, so as the adult I once served, I don’t mind, for the sake of our past friendship, giving you another chance… join the Brotherhood!”

Ytil looked sincerely at Marquis Vauban before him.

“Join the Brotherhood? That is truly a joke—you just need more fertile ground to breed, whether it is my Vauban County or any other place… so, please do not speak the word ‘friendship’, it is truly an insult!”

Marquis Vauban let out a cold laugh directly, just like his last refusal.

At the same time, he began to tear off the hypocritical mask of this Grand Wizard before him—some things could not be seen clearly when existing in the Mist, but when brought before the eyes, they were crystal clear.

Just like Marquis Vauban’s previous confusion and puzzlement about why this ambush he was so sure of would fail.

When Derind… no, when Ytil walked out, everything became clear.

Of course, it also included the true purpose in the other’s words.

“This is truly a pity. I originally thought we could continue to get along happily… look, just like you, I am used to preparing a backup plan—although it is still a bit different from your voice, but after experiencing a battle and suffering some accidental injuries, Lord Marquis, even if the voice is a little different, others will not suspect it, right?”

Ytil shook his head in regret and spoke slowly—from low, to calm, to a dignity that allowed no doubt. In just one sentence, Ytil’s voice became almost exactly the same as Marquis Vauban’s. And his face also began to change, just like ripples like water flow appeared before him.

When everything stopped, another Marquis Vauban appeared.

If the latter wasn’t wearing a wizard’s robe, he would be exactly the same as the Marquis Vauban before him.

“You will not succeed!”

Marquis Vauban gritted his teeth and squeezed out these words—even without the other’s explanation, he could guess what the other wanted to do, and this made Marquis Vauban feel a pain as if his internal organs were burning.

Because Marquis Vauban knew very well that the other could really do such a thing.

And he… was powerless.

“Thank you for your trust over these five years!”

Ytil said in Marquis Vauban’s voice, then turned around and walked towards the Core of the Magic Array that spread throughout Vauban Castle—he needed to complete the final work there.

An identical face and voice, but filled with resentment and grandiose malice.

That scene was truly unspeakably ironic.

At least, in Dean’s eyes, it was so.

Standing in a patch of thick fog, Dean was just like the pillar beside him, without any breath of life.

Even the movement of his fingers was done with great caution.

Even when his fingertip touched that scroll, Dean did not relax in the slightest.