"I apologize in advance, but I recognize no authority that was not earned nor strength that hasn't been tempered by an opposition… Something that only a handful within this chamber possesses. And you are right, Senator, they declared war against us… and I have done nothing but finish it."
- Baron Jonathan Hakuryuu H. Bougainvillea
Spoken during his Senate hearing regarding the "5-Week War"
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
At the western battlefront, the march of the force led by Earl Penne was blunted by an unexpected danger…
"UWAAAAHHH---"
Acting as the frontmost and obviously sacrificial group in the march, the mercenaries that entered Mt. Akira's Forest had their marching formation broken by the uneven terrain and the thick woods and shrubbery of the forest.
"GUAH-!!!"
Within the dense foliage, their comrades that was just beside them moments ago disappeared after a bloodcurdling scream…
*THUD!*
"DAMN IT! NOT AGAIN!"
…only to reappear moments later as a mutilated corpse that fell from the branches above. It was obvious that the denizens of the monster infested forest were taking them as easy meals.
"S***! No way! I'm outta here!" one of the mercenaries who got freaked out by the occurrence stepped out from their uneven marching line and began to scurry back.
"Ey! Come back here, you fool! Don't break formation or you will-"
"Screw all of you! I'd rather go unpaid and live than die here! You're the fools for still continuing to- GUAK-!"
*Shiyak!*
His words were cut short when a sword thrust through him from behind and took his life shortly after. The one who did it was Kaliath Penne who rode on a horse and took unified command of the entire allied force.
"Cowards has no place in this army! MARCH! Victory is as good as ours! Leave becoming monster feed to the mercenaries!"
"Understood, sire! Come on! March forward, you sellswords!"
After following the highway west of the Bougainvillea Baronetcy, the army group of the allied Demesne association army marched through the interior of Mt. Akira's Forest with the intention of using it to hide their forces from the Bougainvillea scouts.
"How many of our men has been snapped up by monster attacks?" Kaliath asked one of the Penne earldom's knight commanders.
"Not even in the fifties, sire! All of them belong to the mercenary troops anyway so there is little to no damage to our army's numbers."
"That is excellent! As they say, have the riffraff take on the brunt of the storm… let's keep our pace and have ourselves camped in the interior of this forest before nightfall!"
"Aye, sire!"
As the sun began to sink beyond the horizon, traversing the forest became dangerous as the dense vegetation blocked even the bright moonlight and monsters began to be more active at night.
While it is generally advisable to stay away from such places when spending the night, given the presence of their more than ten thousand-strong army, the allied army knew that they only had to create a clearing in the forest, set up a palisade and fill them with Warding Lamps to keep the monsters out. Even if a high-class monster appears that the lamps cannot deter, they have enough power to dispose of it easily.
"Set up the clearing and use the felled trees as our highwall! Make sure to maintain a proper overlap between the lamps or we will be breached and turned into monster feed!"
They did as such and before the moon rose high in the sky, the camp was finished and the soldiers and what little remained of the mercenary troops received their food rations and let go from their duties to either rest or do willy-nilly.
"C'mon! This is gonna be fun!"
"Ehehehe~! You're right, I can barely wait!"
Such was the case for a few of Baron Cohery's knights who sneaked out of the camp and headed to the path leading out of the forest.
"They won't even be expecting it!"
"Hahaha! Their lassies would be easy pickings!"
With malicious leers on their faces and exchanges of words that hid nothing about what they are being excited with, they headed to the direction of Paddleton village where their "prey" resides. In an event, such as war, such things are not only a dreaded possibility but a very real and concrete threat…
As the saying goes: "to the strong, the weak and helpless are meek and hopeless". Their fate in entirely on the hands of their captors and they can only blame their lack of capability and resolve to protect their selves.
Thankfully, the people of the Baronetcy are under the protection of someone who will not permit such things so long as he lives and his subjects that would follow him to death.
"H-Huh? Who the hell is that?"
"A man?"
The knights spoke as they saw a humanoid figure standing just beyond the tree line leading to the end of the forest. They cannot see their face nor identify how they looked like due to the lack of light, as well as something behind them that is slightly breaking their silhouette's form.
"Anyone knows who it might be?" one of the asked but instead of an answer, his fellows had an entirely different idea.
"Who cares! Let's kill 'em!"
"Yar right!"
Of the nine men, four would walk towards the figure with their swords drawn out with the full intention of taking the life of the stranger before them. As their distance shortened to a few paces away from each other, the thing that was obstructing the figure's silhouette moved and this is when they realized what it was.
"Grrrrrr…!"
"G-Gah!" one of them gasped after seeing the bright red eyes that glistened with the moonlight, along with a low growl of that ever-familiar monster, a full-grown Direwolf.
"W-What the hell!? When did---!?"
"Greetings, men of the Demesne's army…"
Their shock didn't end with the appearance of the direwolf. The mysterious figure whose form was obfuscated before is now finally clear and they saw a woman dressed in a maid uniform that has a brooch that glowed with a bluish hue and thin-rimmed eyeglasses on her face.
"You seem to be wandering too far from your established encampment. Are you lost?"
"W-Who are you!?"
"Oh, where are my manners… My name is Spica Meronym Dahlia, knight of Acting Baronet Bougainvillea and village elder of the Stella settlement." Spica spoke with a curtsy, earning more shock from the men who found her utter lack of fear unnatural.
"Tis' a pleasure to meet thee… and-!"
"Grrrr!"
"GRAH! HYAGRH!!!"
From the trees around them, packs of full-grown Direwolves appeared, growling loudly and savagely towards the men who huddled together in fear.
"D-Direwolves! MORE DIREWOLVES!!!"
"Stay back! STAY BACK!!!"
This only grew to its crescendo when she gave them an ominous greeting that came to a horrifying end as the monsters herded them closer while their jaws were profusely salivating.
"This should be a good way to mark a very memorable farewell…"
"W-Wait! Don't---!"
"Go on, my dears… Feast upon them."
"HYAH! NO! NOOOOOOO---!"
Their cries as the monsters pounced to tear them apart had nowhere to go other than the throats and bellies of the beasts.
"GRAF-! Mwarf---!"
"STOP- DON'T!!!"
"SPARE ME! NOOOO---"
*Krik-! Tyirgh-!*
Piece by piece and limb by limb, the direwolves devoured them and left nothing but splatters of blood on the ground. It only took several minutes for the Direwolves to leave nothing but puddles of blood, torn clothes and the swords that they spat out.
"With the introductions finished, I believe it is time for us give our uninvited guests a service that would honor Lord Bougainvillea…" Spica spoke just as Jonathan and the Wizards' flying formation went past them in a low altitude flight.
"Hehe~! Lady Martha and I would surely be busy preparing a victory feast for everyone."
Hours ago in the Demesne army's encampment, an event was held in the inner compound of the camp, an area similar to a castle's Keep which was reserved for the used of the army's nobles.
Believing that victory is assured because of their numerical superiority as well as fielding a better armed and trained force, Earl Penne threw a large banquet where the nobles dined and drank to their hearts content. In the end of the party, Earl Penne gave present to the noble lords and knights in the form of women-of-pleasure who took the drunk men to private tents where they did their business.
With the noblemen drunk with high-quality alcohol and the "company" of their women, they slept soundly and didn't even notice that the women took something out of their possessions before sneaking out of the tents to gather back in the luxurious tent of the earl.
"Lord Penne… here are what we have gathered."
"Excellent work, ladies. Hand it to my son and you may take the prices that I have promised to you."
The women deposited a small medallion and a piece of paper on Kaliath's table. The medallion, which has an engravement of a noble house's crest, is a noble's proof of identity that they carry with them all the time. Meanwhile, the piece of paper contained statements that the women have gathered during their "service" earlier.
"Hah! I don't know why they still fall for this. Is it really good to have subordinates that are this gullible, father?" Kaliath asked his father while reading through the words on the papers.
"Buhihi~! Don't speak like that, my boy. While it's true that they are gullible enough to always fall for this scheme of ours, at least it is not to our disadvantage. If anything, them falling for this guarantees that if they do well in the eyes of the empire, we would take some credit and if they fail, we can easily cut them off from our repute."
"You're right with that… still, I wonder if it would just be easier to use these secrets that they are keeping so we can finally take over their lands and secure almost all of East Serafina for ourselves."
"Bah! Don't be too greedy now, son. While it's true that it would be easier for us to just take over their lands, it would jeopardize the rest of our plan to rebel against the empire and reign over Serafina. While that future is yet to be realized, we still need obedient and useful fools like them to act as our family's insurance against any danger."
As the Penne Earldom's ultimate goal was to conquer the Serafina region and secede from the Empire of Ostadonia, Kaltka knew that the road leading to such a future is filled with danger and even a small mistake can lead to his family facing the same punishment as the Bougainvillea family 500 years ago.
Among the over thirty noble houses that comprise East Serafina's Demesne association, twenty-six are aligned with the Penne Earldom and eighteen of them joined the war against the Bougainvilleas.
While these nobles saw their alliance and subordination to the earldom as a guarantee of security and a way to easily climb up the ranks of the empire's feudal peerage system, Earl Penne instead saw them as nothing more than tools that can be easily disposed of once they have outdone their use for his own plans.
"While I did say that it is still not the right time to discard them, once we have defeated the Bougainvilleas and acquired their ancient knowledge, it would be a huge leap towards the completion of our ambitions. Just before we wage war against the empire and secede from it, we will take over the lands of these fools and use their armies as cannon fodder against the empire."
"Again, your brilliance and cunning astound me, father. I really do have a lot more to learn from you."
"Ohoho-! No need to flatter me, my boy. While it's true that I still have much more to teach you, you have already learned more than enough to be a worthy heir of mine… Now then, let's rest and prepare for the victory tomorrow!"
"Right! It would be my war debut. I need to be ready for tomorrow when I can finally rid ourselves of those pesky-"
*KA-BYAAAAA!!!*
Before Kaliath can end his words, an explosion rang outside that stole everyone's attention.
"W-What the---!?"
"What is that?!?!?!"
The earl and his son knew nothing of the horrible and painful end that awaited them that night at the hands of the young man who bore all the thirst for revenge of those that they have wronged.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"Men! I give you permission to overclock your CCUs!"
["""Aye, sire! Initiating Soul Core overclocking!"""]
"Open fire! Leave none of them alive!"
["""AS YOU COMMAND!!!""]
With a shout filled with his wrath, Jonathan gave clear orders to his Wizards who immediately activated the overclocking mechanism of their Soul Core units and split into five Aerial Wings each composed of five Wizards.
On the wing led by Gunther, he gave commands to his subordinates in accordance with the order given earlier by Jonathan to every Wizard leading a Wing.
"Second Wing! Use three computation cores for molecular fusion spells! Make it an equal ratio of fire and lightning magic formulas!"
["What about the remaining two cores, Gunther-dono?"]
"High precision spells comprised of visual enhancement and trajectory guidance formulas! Make it land on their armories and munition storages! Match my fire!"
["""Yes, sir!"""]
A few moments after he gave that order, Gunther and the four other Wizards under his command fired on several tents that contained kegs and crates of magic stone propellant powder used in cannons and volley guns.
"FIRE!!!"
*KYUIIIIIIINNNGGG---!*
The magic spell, containing enormous amounts of fire and lightning elemental magic, was forced together into a ray of high-energy plasma that beamed out in trajectories determined by the other spells that was overlaid upon it.
"R-RUUUUNNNN!"
*KA-BYAAAA!!!*
"GWAAAAA-!!!"
On the ground, the Demesne soldiers ran away from the storage tents and piles as soon as they saw the beams of explosion magic, but many were still caught by the destruction that it caused, vaporizing or tearing them apart in massive explosions.
Meanwhile, the Fifth Aerial Wing assigned with destroying the two main gates leading in and out of the encampment made use of another magic formula specialized for that purpose.
"All hands! Use all five computation cores for a high-explosive magic formula encased in a high-density magic bolt! Target the reinforced main gates!"
["""Roger!"""]
Moments later, the Wizards fired out bullets on the fortified gates that pierced the tough trunks that made it up and detonated with an enormous explosion. In an instant, the entire camp became open to outside incursion.
While it may seem like the Baronetcy's Wizards are easily beating up the Demesne army, the truth cannot be any further than that.
["L-Lord Jonathan! The Fourth Wing has taken numerous severe casualties! Requesting permission to retreat!"]
"Permission granted! But drop all of your explosive formula grenades before you leave!"
["Understood, sire!"]
Unlike the eastern half of the Demesne army, this main army contained the cream of the crop among the allied forces, most of which are soldiers of the Penne Earldom armed with the best weaponry, training and discipline available to the Serafina region.
"Keep firing! We're thinning out their numbers!"
"Don't falter! We can drive them off!!!"
"All together now, FIRE!!!"
Even the Wizards' magic barriers that easily shrugged off the bullets from the volley guns earlier became useless as the Demesne soldiers were given magisteel-tipped bullets that breached the barriers easily.
"Tch! Everyone! While you're on the defensive stance, dedicate two or three computation cores to passive barrier output! If it would be too late for it, use it for flight spells and get out of their range!"
["""Understood, sire!"""]
"Khh! Bastards! They're really not making this any easier!"
With one Aerial Wing gone after it retreated and some Wizards on the other four active Aerial Wings either injured or are running out of stamina, Jonathan decided that it was time to initiate the next part of this attack. He led the First Wing near the Second Wing and gave his orders to Gunther by mouth instead of thought communication magic to avoid having it possibly intercepted by the enemy.
"Gunther, contact the others! Tell them that "it's time"!"
"Roger! Second Wing, cover for me!"
"""Yes, sir!"""
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Amongst the woods of Mt. Akira's Forest, cavalrymen decked in armor and wielding lances, swords and axes hid while watching the battle in the encampment.
"Damn! Those folks from the new knightly house really weren't joking when they said that they'd lead the fight!"
"Look at their speed! What is that? Eighty- No, over a hundred kilometers per hour?!"
"Idiots! Don't be impressed with their speed alone! Look at the magic formulas that they are outputting! That's nothing like even the Wizards from Tenka!"
The young knights watched in wonder as the Wizards fought against the Demesne army. From the speed they used as the zoomed to and fro across the sky, to the magic spells that they formulated and fired towards the enemy, they learned why Jonathan chose to have them as the leading force in the battle.
"Keep your enthusiasm shelved for now, lads! We might be made to charge into battle any minute now." With a low voice, the leader of the cavalrymen castigated the young knights who apologized to him before returning to their formation.
"Y-Yes, Lord Elliot!"
"Gray! Any news from the young lord?" Huey spoke to the knight beside him whose armor bore the same crest. He was clutching the part of his helmet where his ear is. Suddenly, his face perked up and he announced the news.
"…! It just came in right now! It's a go, father! Jonathan-sama is commanding us to charge!"
"ALRIGHTY! WE'RE HEADING IN!!!"
With that shout from their noble house's master, the knights of House Elliot took the reins of their horses and drew out their weapons in preparation for their entrance into the fray.
"Clench your crotches, men! This will be a rough ride!"
"Remember our wagers! Those that get dislodged from their saddles will pay for a round of drinks later!"
"And those that will kick the bucket won't have any alcohol in Valhalla!"
After shouting those humorous words to lift everyone's morale, Huey Elliot raised the banner of his noble house at the back of his saddle and shouted this one clear battle cry.
"ALL KNIGHTS OF HOUSE ELLIOT! CHAAAAAAARRRRGGGEEEEE!!!"
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
At one of the destroyed gates of the encampment, the mass of soldiers who had their muskets pointed towards the Wizards above noticed that the ground where they are standing was shaking like uneven waves.
"W-What the heck-!?"
"What is happening?!"
The answer to their question came quickly and brutally in the form of mounted knights that burst into the camp and cut them down where they stood.
"Wahoo! GET SOME OF THIS!!!"
"Wha--- GAH-!?" a shocked gasp came from one of the men before he was ran through by a lance.
"Cut them down!!!"
"GYAAAHHH--!!!"
The Baronetcy's knights charged towards the mass of musketeers who didn't have enough time to lower their guns to fire towards them and in a single pass, broke their formation by either cutting up or stabbing the soldiers or trampling them under their horses' hooves.
"Leave the remainder for the pack! Charge towards the other mass formations and relieve the pressure for the Wizards up top!"
"""Aye, Elliot-sama!"""
Leading from the front, Huey Elliot led his knights further into the encampment where their assigned mission was to create an opening for another group who will enter the Demesne's camp to wreak havoc amongst its defenders.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
["Jonathan-sama! House Elliot's knights have successfully cleared the southern gate."]
"Splendid! Leave the next step to me… First Wing! Cover for me while I give the command for the next phase."
"Understood, sire!"
Jonathan and his Wing lowered their flying altitude a few tens of meters above the ground, a very risky move as it made them highly susceptible to being shot down. However, it was imperative that this be done in order for Jonathan's next move to be heard far and wide by its intended receivers.
"AWOOOOOOO!!!" with a big gulp of air and his best possible rendition of a wolf's howl, Jonathan let out that call that is further enhanced by voice amplification magic.
["AWOOOOO-OOOOO!!!"]
As soon as that was done, Jonathan and his Wing returned to their previous altitude and returned to battling against the Demesne's forces. For a few moments, everything was as it was… but soon, something definitely unnatural befell the men in the encampment.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"MWARF-!"
"W-WAAAAHHH!!!"
As shrieks filled the air, the chaos amongst the Demesne soldiers' ranks spread as well with the appearance of countless Direwolves that breached the broken northern gate.
"GROARGH! GRAFF-!!!"
"NO! NOOOOOOO!!!"
Like pitiful prey cornered by predators that surrounded it with no hope of escape, the Demesne's forces were currently facing three dangers that can easily be the way that they would go through to leave the mortal plain.
"K-Keep firing! DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY!"
"I-I-INCOMING! GWAAA----!"
From above, the Wizards who now had some breathing room from being fired upon unleashed fiercer and more destructive spells upon the Demesne soldiers, systematically destroying them piece by piece.
"E-Enemy cavalry! Affix bayone- GAAAAHHH!!!"
"Too late for that, bucko!!!"
"EAT SOME STEEL, YOU WUSSES!!!"
From the breached southern gate, the knights of House Elliot swept across the camp, decimating any mass of soldiers on their path and leaving many of the soldiers either dead or dying.
"T-T-This is ridiculous! Wizards and horsemen in a mere baronetcy?! And now they even have tamed Direwolves!?!?!?"
"H-H-Hey! Don't make too much noise! We will get--- MUAH-AAAAAAHHHH-!"
"ARGH! DAMMIT!!!"
And now, from the destroyed northern gate, countless packs of Direwolves have entered the camp who proceeded to charge towards the remaining soldiers, making them cower upon seeing the enormous monsters going after their lives.
"Sire! Look!"
One by one, the nine armies that made up the main Demesne forces became whittled down until a clear path leading to the inner compound was drilled through their defenses.
"A chance… Alright! Gray! GRAY!!!" After seeing what Gunther was pointing towards, Jonathan connected his thought communication magic to the young knight on the ground.
["What is it, young lord?"]
"Leave harassing the rest of the small fry to the Direwolves! I need your forces to focus on that gap in the enemy's defenses leading to the inner yard of the camp!"
["Understood, sire! Please give us some cover while we charge!"]
"You got it! Godspeed! …Wizards! Consolidate with me, we're providing cover fire for the cavalry!"
["""Aye, young master!"""] after he shouted the order to his Wizards, they immediately took sharp turns from their previous flight paths in order to meet back with his formation.
"Attention everyone! We're going to break the remaining defenses and the gates leading to the camp's interior! Do it just like how the Fifth Wing did earlier!"
["""ROGER!"""]
As the Knights of House Elliot gathered below to charge into the camp's inner compound, Jonathan and the Wizards compiled the necessary formulas for the complex magic spell, draining a large amount of their mental stamina while also actively dodging or blocking the incoming gunfire.
Everyone in the Aerial Combat Wizard group were already incredibly exhausted. Although the Soul Core, with its form that is different from the usual Combat Computation Units, doesn't make use of someone's internal magic power to make use of magic, it still made the user to take on the task of assigning what spells would be used, laying down the formula for said spells as it is being compiled and eventually controlling its output after it has been formed.
It is incredibly taxing to the user's mental capacity and as the human body isn't exactly made for constantly flying at speeds of over a hundred kilometers per hour or the almost instantaneous evasive maneuvers that they perform, it is also physically tiring and disorienting.
"Everyone! Match the young master's fire!"
However, everyone among the Wizards knew that the success of this war hinges on their superhuman capabilities and giving in to the pain and discomfort that all of this brings would likely end with their comrades dying and their people falling to the cruel hands of their evil enemies.
So, they gnashed their teeth as they stared down the sights of their rifles…
"All hands…!"
And alongside their master, fired the shots that would forever echo across history and change the fate of Promethea.
"FIRE!!!"
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
While it may seem like everyone in the Demesne's camp faced an equally terrible end, it wasn't the case for two particular people… but not in the way that some would expect.
"Haah…. Haaah… Haaaaah---!"
"Hold strong, young master! We are almost there!"
At the outskirts of the Seville Barony, three territories away from the Bougainvillea Baronetcy, the heir of the Penne Earldom, Kaliath Penne, was being aided by a lone soldier as they rode a single horse. Across his body were countless wounds and gashes and a look on his lower half showed that he has lost his entire right leg from the knee-down.
"F-Finn… F-F-F-Father… w-w-where is-"
"Conserve your energy on surviving, my lord! We're nearly in the Seville Barony's hospital! You must stay alive for the sake of everyone we lost back there!"
The reason why he sustained such injuries and are now almost in Death's doorstep was solely because of the assault on the main encampment that happened last night.
All of a sudden, the enemy that they belittled to the point that they celebrated their assumed victory before a battle even began, appeared with forces that they didn't expect it could wield and with a horde of monsters that took them by complete surprise.
Devastating explosions were brought down by Wizards who, although were only a few, conjured spells that were on a different caliber than what could be expected from them.
Knights clad with high-quality magisteel armor, resistant to physical or magic-based attacks, thundered through their lines and left everything on their path dead or dying.
The greatest shock of all, and the thing that led to Kaliath losing a limb, were the packs of tamed Direwolves that entered the camp and wreaked terror all around the place.
In a single hour, their mighty army whose numbers and strength cannot be matched by anyone else in East Serafina, became nothing more than corpses that were strewn about on the battlefield, becoming feed to the ravens and the monsters of the forest.
"Change the bandages on his leg before it leads to gangrene!"
"Someone get a healing salve for the minor wounds! I'm busy with healing magic here!"
Although all of this still seem to be nothing more than a very, very bad dream to Kaliath, he knew that this is the reality that he now has to live through. While the doctors and nurses in the hospital were treating him, he gestured to the lone knight that saved him to come close.
"M-My young lord…"
"F-Finn… I need you to write… something to our "friends" in the Earldom… Tell them to secure an escape route for mother and much of our riches. We will leave the Empire as soon as possible… We will start again in Yropa… and then-!"
With soft whispers that he can muster from his remaining strength, Kaliath gave an order that he sourced from the growing sense of hatred welling up in his chest until it reached a point where it all exploded with a bloodshot expression on his face and all the rage that he can muster.
"WE WILL BURN THE EMPIRE DOWN! NO ONE WILL BE SPARED!!!"
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
While the son survived through an enormous amount of luck, the same cannot be said for the earl who during that night, faced a bloody end that befit his myriad of crimes.
"Why… why, why?! WHY?!!!"
The stout nobleman, dressed in his gaudy clothes that has since been stained with mud and blood, ran through a tunnel in utter terror after the inner compound of the encampment was overran by his enemies.
"My lord! This way!" one of his knights shouted, leading him to the end of the escape tunnel that opened to the forest outside of the camp.
"Haah… haaah… HAAAAH…!"
"B-By the moon goddesses---!"
"I-I-Is all of this truly real---!?"
While Earl Penne was catching his breath, his knights looked back on their camp that is on the tail end of being utterly destroyed by the Baronetcy's forces. They can even hear the death throes and screams of terror from the survivors that still remain inside the camp as they became feed to the Direwolves or were mercy-killed by the Bougainvillea's knights and wizards.
"W-We have to move! Everyone! Let's get to the rendezvous point and leave this place!"
"Understood, sir! My lord, we have to move away from here!"
"R-Right…" Kaltka, although his rotund body is causing him a great deal of tiredness and pain, dismissed such ails as he knew that he may lose his life here.
Together with a handful of his personal guards, Kaltka ran through the forest and into a certain place where his men have kept a few horses as a way to leave the place in an emergency such as this.
"I can see that Warding lamp!" the knight leading their group shouted as soon as he saw the faint, yellowish light let out by the luminous magic stone lamp that protected the horses from being attacked by monsters.
"Excellent! Let's get out of here then!"
While that sight made it seem like they have successfully escaped, they would soon discover that this was all a ploy that they fell victim to… for instead of the horses that they expect to be there, the one who was in the clearing was a woman wearing a maid uniform and a hood with an embroidered crest.
"Greetings, uninvited guests to the lands of House Bougainvillea."
"W-Who are you!?" one of the knights shouted as he drew his sword and pointed it to the woman.
"My name is Martha Robinson of Knightly House Robinson. While not exactly a pleasure or honor, I do recognize your presence in this place that we call our home."
"Stop screwing with us, you wench! Tell us where the horses are before I fill you with holes!" Kaltka, fearing for his life and the seemingly unafraid demeanor of the woman who instead had a sly smirk on her face, drew out his pistol and pointed it towards her.
"That's right! You better- KAH-!"
"AYIIIEEE-!!!"
However, the sight of the man beside him who stepped forward to further pressure Martha to take his threat seriously, having his head divorced from the rest of his body, caused Kaltka to cower in fear and drop his gun as one by one, his knights crossed swords and eventually all lost their lives to a knight whose armor bore the crest of his earldom.
"Excellent work, brother… they didn't even suspect anything."
"Hmph! I wouldn't be entrusted with our family's future if I can't do something as simple as this." The treacherous knight replied as he took off his helmet and showed a face that Kaltka immediately recognized to not be among his personal guard but instead, the infamous heir of a similarly infamous noble family.
"Y-Y-You… YOU ARE---!"
"Save your shock, dear Earl. I have no need for it… After all, you failed to even take into account my presence here when you declared war against our masters." Kaltka's exasperation was justified by the identity of the man who stands before him.
This is Renzo "Rusty" I. Robinson, the eldest son of Abel Robinson and the heir of their Knightly house. Although some of his infamy started with being given such a name due to his unnatural hair color that resembled red-brown rusted iron, what truly brought him his negative fame was his flawless expertise in House Robinson's unconventional warfare and deep espionage skills, a type of warfare that is seen as "dishonorable" in the Tenka Empire's way of war.
"Why you… YOU DAMNED FILTHY BRAAATTT---!" Kaltka shouted while seething in utter anger.
And as shown by what he just pulled off, that infamy is as legitimate as his skills.
"Now then, I believe it's time to present the young master with the big fish that we have caught in our line." Martha spoke while picking up the pistol that the earl dropped earlier.
"You're right about that, Martha. It's high time that we make this poor excuse for a human to finally have the comeuppance for every wrong that he has done."
"N-N-Nooo… Stay away! STAY BACK!!!"
As Kaltka crawled on the ground, fearing the two who approached him slowly with horrifying expressions on their faces that they only show against their helpless prey, he thought back on everything that led him to this point.
His vision darkened and suddenly, harrowing voices came from around him… voices that sounded familiar to his ears…
"Viscount Kaltka…"
"Y-Y-You are---!"
Someone he knew called him using his old noble rank… he knew only one person who would do such.
"Give me back… my family…!"
"WAAAAHHH!!!"
The wraith-like voice continued to echo until what appeared was a half-rotten corpse who bore an unmistakable resemblance to the man he was thinking of. It was the commander of his army during his time as a Viscount. That man had a wife and daughter whom Kaltka coveted and after sending him away to lead a war that he knew he would die from, Kaltka forced himself onto the two and promptly silenced the pair by executing them.
"Abby… My wife…! Alice… My daughter…!"
"GET AWAY FROM ME!!!" the corpse continued to speak, further horrifying him until he pushed his way through him and ran further into the dark, mist-filled forest.
However, the nightmare is yet to continue…
"What wrong have I and my husband done for you to do that, Viscount…?"
"Eeek!!!"
"Our family served you faithfully all this time… why did you do that to mother and I, Viscount…?"
"STAY AWAY! I ORDER ALL OF YOU TO STAY AWAY!!!"
The ones that appeared next were the wife and daughter, and on their necks were marks left by the noose that were used to execute them. Just like the commander before, they all looked deathly pale and were rotting at some parts of their form.
"Viscount Penne…"
"Earl Penne…"
All around Kaltka, familiar faces, voices and memories filled his eyes and ears endlessly…
"My lord…!"
"Young master!"
He was in the midst of them, running away as fast and far as he can, yet they still surrounded him, droning around him like vengeful ghosts who aren't leaving his side until they have attained justice.
"Where am I…? WHERE THE HELL AM I?!"
"""Exactly where you belong, Earl Kaltka…""" all of the ghosts spoke in unison in accordance to his outburst, earning more of his fear because of it.
"---!!!"
"""You're in Hell."""
As soon as he heard those words, the dark and misty forest around him turned blood-red and the mud he fell at just now became doused with blood.
"N-No… T-t-t-this is not happening… This is not---!"
"""It's time for you to pay what is due to you, Earl…""" the ghosts crept closer and closer to him, their horrifying appearances further earning his fear.
"No… NO! NOT YET!!! Not when I'm yet to get Selena and-"
"You will not have her, Kaltka!"
"AH---!"
A very familiar voice that made his spine tingle in utter fear echoed before an invisible force lifted him from the mud and he saw the last person that he wronged before all of this started.
"Selena… my family… my household…! You and your ilk will torment them no more even if I am no longer here!"
The ghost of Joseph appeared in front of him, declaring that he has come to protect his family even beyond the grave.
"H-H-How dare you…! Even in death, you are still such a pest, JOOOSEPH!!! GRAAAAHHH-!!!"
The invisible force that lifted him earlier to face Joseph's wraith slammed him back into the bloodstained mud where his face was forced into the mud.
"HRGH-! HRAAAAGH---!"
Slowly and painfully, the mire filled Kaltka's nostrils and airways, drowning him. His body's reflexes made him to wriggle around, desperately trying to escape his demise. This made him look like a swine rolling around the mud.
"Just give in, Earl…"
"This is where you will meet your end…"
"There is no more redemption awaiting your wretched soul…"
All around him, the ghosts whispered words that tempted him to quit resisting his impending doom as he kept drawing back his head to draw breath, but it only pushed the mud he inhaled further into his airways.
"I died an honorable death surrounded by my loved ones, Kaltka…"
"GRUAAAAA-!!!" Kaltka roared in defiance as Joseph's ghost held the back of his head to pull it up for one last draw of breath.
"You will not have such a delightful end, beast in human clothing!"
And with that, Kaltka drowned in the mud where he laid dead… where no one can find him and no one to mourn him.
While it may seem like he faced a supernatural death in the hands of vengeful spirits, the truth of the matter is that he attained such death through means that is easily explainable.
"…What a fitting end for such a monster."
"Right… although if I must say, this is the only way that I can see him dying."
The siblings from House Robinson that appeared earlier approached the dead body of Kaltka. Over their nose and mouth, they wore wet cloth masks that protected them from a smoke that wafted around them.
"We need to douse the Lucid Nightmare Bark with water magic before its smoke spreads further."
Renzo spoke while looking at the piece of wood that was slowly burning and letting out the hallucinogenic smoke that caused Kaltka's nightmarish visions and eventual death.
"Leave it to me, brother. I'll handle it."
"Mm… I'll go bury this one then."
Just like that, the greatest enemy of House Bougainvillea and a potential traitor to the Empire of Ostadonia was eliminated alongside all of his ambitions.