Around Strange, mercenaries with a rough appearance began to gather one by one.
Their number alone seemed to be at least five hundred, making it impossible to repel a surprise attack at this hour when everyone was asleep.
'No matter how skilled the knights of Strange may be.'
"Move in."
At Moncle's command, the soldiers rushed toward the mansion's entrance.
They moved swiftly but stealthily, their footsteps barely audible.
Those wielding swords and axes led the approach, while those with bows and guns provided cover from behind.
Though the mercenaries appeared tense, they didn't believe they would lose the battle.
Even if they did lose, as long as they survived, they could gain a substantial reward once the mission was over.
After all, they were executing the plan of Marquis Pierre, who had royal blood.
"I'll go first."
A man as large as a bear, holding axes in both hands, charged forward from among the mercenaries.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
As soon as he was sensed, Strange's guards drew their swords.
"Who's there!"
There was no conversation. Only action spoke.
Whoosh!
The mercenary's axe cleaved the air.
However, the knight of Strange dodged lightly and thrust his sword into the mercenary's side.
Crunch!
"Argh!"
Even the lowest-ranked knights of Strange were never weak. No matter how much fame a mercenary might have earned on the battlefield, facing an elite knight alone was extremely reckless.
Therefore, the mercenaries began to swarm.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!
"Kill them!"
"If I survive tonight, I can become rich!"
"Don't be scared! Charge! They can't cut all of us down with one strike!"
Hundreds of mercenaries overwhelmed the five knights of Strange. While the knights fought well against the first few attackers, it was impossible to fend off the continuously swarming mercenaries. Swords, spears, and axes flying from all directions soon slaughtered the guards.
Crunch!
"Move into the mansion. Kill everyone you see without exception!"
Moncle's voice echoed.
Now, they didn't care who saw them. They executed their mission openly.
After all, history is written by the victors. If today's mission succeeded, Strange would be branded as evil, and they as justice.
'Old men, women, children! Kill them all if they are connected to those people.'
"Uooooh!"
"Uooooh!"
The mercenaries charged with a roar.
It was too late to turn back now.
They had to annihilate Strange before dawn.
With this resolve, Moncle's forces pushed into the mansion.
"Ah… there's no one here."
It was completely empty.
No matter how hard they searched, they couldn't find a single person.
Not even pets like dogs or cats.
Moncle was perplexed.
'What on earth is going on?'
He couldn't grasp the situation.
Could that hunchback have lied? Or had their plan leaked to Strange?
'No.'
That couldn't be it.
If they had noticed the attack, they would have requested reinforcements from their main base long ago.
'And besides.'
Even if they had noticed, Verdin and the soldiers of Strange couldn't leave Legion Castle.
He had personally confirmed they hadn't moved until the evening, and the Bourbone knights were blocking all escape routes from the castle.
"…We must find them."
They were surely still within the castle.
They couldn't have gone far.
If they had realized his plan, they wouldn't have had enough time to escape.
Moncle gathered the leaders of each unit and spoke.
"Spread out and search the area. If you find any of Strange's men, fire a signal flare. Do not engage without me."
"Yes, Baron Moncle!"
The mercenary leaders led their troops in all directions.
In their urgency, they began forcibly entering unrelated shops and houses in search of Strange.
Their intention was good, but their method was crude.
Thus, the operation to find Strange began to deviate from Moncle's plan.
"Damn it!"
Moncle was furious.
As time passed, his complexion darkened. Despite a thorough search, they couldn't even find footprints.
While Moncle's entire force was focused on the search,
"I found them!"
someone near the castle wall fired a signal flare and shouted.
Fssssh- Bang!
---
"Young master, they have started moving."
Butler Diberi spoke to me with a determined expression. Behind him, fully armed knights stood ready for battle, looking at me.
"How many are there?"
"Around five hundred, though it's hard to be precise in the darkness."
More than expected.
"Do we know Baron Moncle's position?"
"Yes, he's currently in the square, deploying his forces while the leaders of each mercenary group search the vicinity."
"What about the Bourbone knights?"
"They are stationed at the main and rear gates of the castle. Even though they know we've left the mansion, they haven't moved."
So it's come to this.
Even if Monestier's plan failed, Bourbone was moving cautiously, creating a minimal path to escape involvement in this matter.
'Coward.'
But what trick was Moncle hiding? Though others hadn't noticed, he and I were engaged in a battle of wits.
'Clearly.'
He knew that we were aware of Bourbone's movements. It was something he could easily infer from Gangrada's survival.
So, he must have prepared thoroughly and devised his strategy accordingly.
'Surely.'
"How many of Strange's knights are here right now?"
"Just under sixty. The day before you came down from the tower, five squads left to handle an imperial commission..."
Even if the knights of Strange possessed highly skilled swordsmanship, it was too few to face five hundred seasoned mercenaries.
Moreover, I couldn't face Baron Moncle and the rest all by myself.
'Besides.'
The bugs Rocs brought from the tower were intended to block the Bourbone knights, so we were short-handed.
"Rocs, when you get the signal, bring down the wall."
Rocs nodded briefly and gestured to his familiar.
The clown, which had been performing a ridiculous dance over his head, flew high and began waving its hands grandly toward the outside of the castle.
"Diberi, let's begin."
Butler Diberi waved a flag bearing the Strange family crest high above his head.
As the large flag fluttered audibly and soared,
"We found them!"
An enemy mercenary discovered our location.
Fssssssh- Bang!
A signal flare exploded.
This not only alerted the enemy but also signaled the start of the battle for us.
As the mercenaries moved with a roar, we also began deploying our secret weapon.
"Rocs."
"Yes."
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
A deafening noise echoed throughout Legion.
The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck, and the cries of alarmed animals could be heard all around.
This was far more significant than a mere earthquake.
"Giants!"
The shadows of beast giants emerging from outside the walls entered the castle grounds.
Their forms, silhouetted against the moonlight, appeared as majestic as mountains standing in the distance.
They were massive beings, too large to be adequately described by the word "large."
The three beast giants outside the walls joined hands.
"Roaaaaar!"
With a strange cry, they swung their fists.
Boom!
The wall crumbled with a single strike.
This was a force beyond human capability.
Even the "Apostles" who fought alongside gods couldn't muster such power.
The only comparable monster might be a "dragon," the strongest of all monsters.
'Perfect.'
The broken wall crumbled into dust. The sky, which had been clear enough to see the stars moments before, was now covered in gray.
With visibility so poor that it was hard to distinguish even a step ahead, the knights of Strange moved hurriedly.
'We're moving outside the castle.'
This was a battle we couldn't win from the inside.
"A disaster-level monster has invaded!"
Guards' cries spread throughout.
The terrified residents locked their doors and didn't come out, while visiting adventurers armed themselves to figure out what was going on, observing the movements of the imperial army.
"What is that?"
And they faced an unexpected reality.
"A... giant?"
---
The appearance of the beast giants, 'Titans,' considered the most powerful of the giants that once ruled this continent, was enough to threaten everyone.
"Damn it, everyone, run!"
Not only the adventurers visiting Legion but also the imperial soldiers guarding the castle began to flee desperately.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
Baron Monestier, who had noticed the giants late, drew his sword.
Swish.
'What? I didn't sense any presence of monsters.'
"Damn it! Why now of all times-"
He gestured to the mercenary leaders.
"I'll deal with the giants, so ignore them and focus on attacking Strange!"
The mercenaries responded in unison.
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
Monestier jumped onto a nearby building, then climbed the wall and charged at the giants.
"Get out of here right now, I don't have time to deal with you!"
His sword blazed red, emitting fierce flames.
Whoosh!
In my previous life, I had never faced him, so I had forgotten, but seeing his power directly brought back memories.
Monestier's epithet, the Flame Emperor.
I had thought it referred to his ambition to rise high, but it turns out his epithet matched his ability.
'Interesting.'
Pop.
Baron Moncle landed on the giant's shoulder. Without hesitation, he ran towards the giant's neck.
Thud, thud, thud.
The fierce light in his eyes was intimidating. He had indeed reached the realm of a swordmaster, enough to subdue his enemies with just his gaze.
'However.'
"His sword cannot reach me."
Just as Moncle's blade neared the giant's neck,
Clang!
A black blade blocked Monestier's path.
"Verdin?"
Recognizing each other as enemies, there was no need for lengthy explanations.
"A traitor to the family, Baron Monestier de Strange. You will pay for your sins with your life."